By Joe Grinnan, ACUA Board Member

Working on the 1559 Tristán de Luna shipwrecks during my first field school, the professors would (half) jokingly tell us, “Those artifacts been down there for 450 years, they can wait another day.” Of course, what they meant was that if the weather was bad or borderline, we could delay and go out safely the next day. At the same time, the Marine Research Center team had a pair of checklists: one that helped us to confirm that the vessel and trailer were in working order, and another to confirm that safety equipment was operational and properly packed before driving away. Between the professors watching the forecast closely and the Marine Research team’s preparedness, we were always ready for a safe day on the water. I have carried these values and routines learned in school, along with the Scouting motto to “Be Prepared,” with me into my professional life. Whether it’s a project in my backyard or in some distant location, I have found three steps have helped instill what is often called a culture of safety. This culture of safety will create safe and efficient operations on and under the water, facilitating data collection in turn. Much of the below is focused on underwater archaeology, but the overarching topics discussed are applicable not only to our terrestrial archaeology and marine biological colleagues, but could be incorporated into our daily lives.

The first step in committing to safe marine operations is training, which typically includes first aid and basic seamanship skills. Not only is proper training a good idea, but it is also mandated by many agencies. For example, in the United States, OSHA’s first aid standard for general industry states (29 CFR 1910.151[b]): “In the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid. Adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available.” In this statement, OSHA interprets “near proximity” to be a facility about 3-4 minutes away. Training should also be tailored to your specific activities or tasks (Figure 1). If operations involve diving, Emergency Oxygen Provider and AED training (and access to the corresponding equipment) would be appropriate.

Figure 1. AECOM Scientific Divers conducting training. Photo courtesy AECOM

While initial training is important, content refreshers reinforce training and make it second nature. A refresher can be brief and concise, and, if done correctly, enjoyable. The Florida Public Archaeology Network’s Coordinating Center has a great knot-tying station where visitors can practice multiple knots, and knowing these knots is incredibly important when working on the water. On occasion, I borrow their station to both teach knot tying and hold competitions to see who can tie the knots the fastest (Figure 2). Bragging rights go to the winner until the next training! Another example of the importance of revisiting training occurred spontaneously on a recent project when we noticed that one of our inflatable PFDs had expired. We took the opportunity to manually inflate the PFDs and swap out the cartridge. As you can clearly see in the image, it was a good time (Figure 3).

Figure 2. University of West Florida graduate Student Micah Minnocci demonstrating his knot tying abilities. Photo courtesy AECOM.
Figure 3. Amber Cabading showing off her tested PFD. Photo courtesy AECOM.

Another critical consideration is planning. All the training in the world only goes so far if you do not bring the proper equipment to complete the project or to administer first aid. Maintaining that culture of safety may take a little work but, with proper planning, you can be just as prepared wherever you are working. Today’s technology and innovation is amazing and you should use it to your advantage while planning fieldwork. I feel like I have better internet 40 miles offshore the New York Bight than I do at home. This is in contrast to 10 years ago, when we were on a month-long deployment, checking emails (without attachments) weekly and were only allowed to call home once, on Thanksgiving. We didn’t find out that the Cubs won the World Series until 72 hours later! Even safety equipment has progressed greatly, and with proper planning can be utilized on any project. AEDs no longer cost thousands of dollars each and your organization may even qualify for one of the numerous grants focused on AED accessibility by providing free or discounted AEDs and accessories. I recently became aware of collapsible backboards that can be easily checked on a plane.

One planning piece that I have found is routinely overlooked is breathing air quality. It is easy to say, “Oh, we are going to a remote location. There is no way we can confirm breathing air quality.” Have you called them? Has your local contact gone out and walked through the door to ask? I have been able to ship air quality kits to many places and the shops have submitted (at my expense) air samples for testing. Any shop that is unwilling to do so is probably not somewhere you want to get your tanks anyway. Sometimes, you may also have the option to bring your own compressor. Relatively speaking, a small compressor is inexpensive and easy to operate.

Ultimately, the best way to maintain a safety culture and prevent accidents and injuries is by avoiding complacency. You can have completed all the training, refresher courses, and project planning available, but willfully ignoring safety protocols because they become routine can cause big problems for you and your team. We’ve all been there; you’re nearing the end of a project and looking forward to a home-cooked meal or comfort food. But skipping steps or not double-checking everything can lead to disaster. It might be something small like an improperly coiled cable or dock line, or an item left out of a bag on the back deck. That tiny oversight could quickly turn into a major problem. Take the extra minute to coil the cable properly or put away your fins — your buddy will thank you. 

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