Impact of Key Enabling Technologies on Safety Risks in Shipbuilding. Application to Painting Activities on Large Vessels

Abstract

A large vessel, such as a container ship or an oil tanker, requires painting processes that include not only application, but also cleaning, substrate preparation and corrosion treatment. Moreover, these processes take place during construction (both in the construction of blocks in the workshop and in the assembly at the dock) and also during the operation phase of its life cycle, as part of its maintenance. This research analyzes the advantages of the implementation of key enabling technologies in painting processes versus the proposal of preventive measures, collective and individual protection, and training of workers in traditional manual processes. Using the Fine-Kinney method, which assesses potential hazards and associated risks, the degree of danger of the different tasks present in the current painting processes of large vessels is measured. These risk scores is compared with those of the new activities resulting from the simulation and automation of the associated processes, analyzing their justification by confronting their level of correctness (risk mitigation) with the cost factors of their implementation. The results show that, from a health and safety point of view, the proposal of these measures is fully justified. Therefore, it can be concluded that the inclusion of key enabling technologies in the painting processes of a ship throughout its life cycle drastically reduces risk levels, improving the safety and health conditions of the workers involved, without prejudice to an increase in the cost of services or in the delivery deadlines to the client, which confirms their reliability.