U.S. NAVY SALVAGE REPORT DEEPWATER HORIZON ... - ESSM

Chapter 2: Command and Organization
2-2.9 Safety Policy
Generally, the ICS imposed prudent safety precautions in response to potential environmental
health issues associated with crude oil cleanup. Examples of this included Tyvek suit
requirements when coming into physical contact with oil, life jackets for workers within 15 feet of
the water's edge (whether shore side or on a vessel), and pants, steel toe shoes and hard hats
were required on vessels and at all staging areas. They enforced their policies by vigorously
monitoring vessels and their crews as well as beach cleanup teams and carefully screened
entrants to the staging areas for proper attire. These policies often conflicted with the hazards
posed by the heat in the Gulf of Mexico during the summer creating other safety risks for workers
such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Training requirements (specifically Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
Standard also known as HAZWOPER) were identified for which the SUPSALV team needed to
prove their qualifications or take the prescribed training. Even though all ESSM staff produced
their certificates and/or training records, each staging area and decontamination facility still
wanted to require that all persons entering the facility complete a time consuming and
unnecessary safety brief.
One area where no policy was in effect and precautions should have been taken was a way to
ensure compliance with safe petroleum vapor exposure levels. SUPSALV manned three VOSS
skimming vessels which were chartered by BP from Resolve Marine and SEACOR. These ships
were not equipped with air monitors or crew members trained to conduct monitoring. 00C's crews
were neither equipped nor trained either. During at sea operations when the ships were
skimming heavy patches of oil, the vapors entered one ship's superstructure and were ducted
throughout the pilot house. Crew members exposed to these vapors developed headaches and
made their shore side management teams aware of the issues, who then informed the ICP in
Houma. ICP took action immediately and deployed air monitoring equipment and a qualified
industrial hygienist, who was trained to assess vapor exposure issues, to the vessel. The crew
members were provided individual exposure indicators and testing was done on deck and inside
the ship. Results indicated that unsafe conditions did not exist (when the assessment was
conducted) but this testing capability should have been in place prior to the vessel's deployment.
This is an issue SUPSALV will follow up on and ensure a capacity through self reliance or
contracted capability is in place for future operations.
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