Sandra Welch, Chief Operating Officer at Sailors' Society
Supporting and championing seafarers' safety and wellbeing is all in a day's work for Sandra Welch at Sailors' Society, an organisation that has been supporting seafarers and their families for more than 200 years.
As Chief Operating Officer, Sandra oversees their international programmes and project work, a job which she finds highly rewarding as she sees the positive impact it has on the lives of seafarers and their dependants. She also manages the global network of chaplains and project staff.
Caring for seafarers' mental health
The recent Wellness survey by Sailors' Society highlighted that more than a quarter of seafarers show signs of depression. Investigations into disasters at sea indicate that anxiety, depression and fatigue are a sad reality for many seafarers, which can take a toll on their decision-making abilities and operational capabilities.
"Depression at sea isn't just a problem for the individuals involved. It can lead to fatal human errors, which are a major contributor to accidents at sea, so risking seafarer health not only endangers the safety of the ship, but also its cargo and the bottom line," she explained.
Not On My Watch is a rallying cry to the maritime industry to ensure that the mental health of employees is a priority, she said.
"As an industry, it's down to us to protect seafarers. We can help seafarers look after their mental health and stand by them when life gets tough," she added.
Still numerous incidents
While industry awareness, support and understanding of the importance of crew welfare and wellness have increased dramatically, there are still numerous incidents reported, where the lack of wellbeing has negatively impacted the safe running of a ship, she said.
"With the help of our partners and the industry at large, we firmly believe that we can bring further positive changes for our industry's life force - the seafarers whom we all depend on."
To counter this issue, the "activities are never static; instead, they link both learning and testing at the same time to compare the effectiveness of the campaigns."
"It also allows employees to internalise learning and provide them with an opportunity to practice their learning," she said.
3 Questions with Sandra Welch
Q1. What does it take to build a maritime safety culture?
"It's clear that many seafarers remain underprepared for some of the harsh realities that life at sea brings. Even everyday worries can be compounded by the distance from their loved ones.
We are looking to ship owners and the industry at large to prioritise crew wellness and invest in training to help prevent such disasters. That's why our Not On My Watch campaign is petitioning for wellness training to become mandatory, as part of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). We want our seafarers to be empowered and equipped with the tools to be able to recognise and pre-empt signs of physical or mental ill health, for both themselves and their fellow crewmates.
After all, a healthy crew makes for a safe ship."
Q2. What was your proudest moment in your career since you started in the maritime industry?
"My proudest moment was winning the Seatrade award for the Wellness at Sea programme."
Q3. What words of wisdom would you give to the next generation of talents entering the maritime industry?
"Life is too short, so make the most of it!"
