You will no doubt have already noticed it was 60 years ago that the Maritime Joint Work Environment Council was formed, and 40 years since the first issue of SAN News went to press. When you read the formal minutes written at the SAN council meetings of the fifties and sixties and then today’s notes, you can’t help being struck by how much better things have become. Crew on tankers no longer stand on the edge of an open hatch cover during loading and unloading. On many ships there are moulded ear protectors that filter out harmful frequencies but allow normal conversations, and the next-to-useless glass-wool has long since disappeared – to mention just a couple of issues. The minutes also show how many committed people have been active in SAN over the years and the important role they have played in the development of work environment initiatives on board. Despite this being an anniversary year, SAN must look forward as usual. We will be highlighting the new regulations on the organisational and social work environment, what they are and how they can be incorporated into the daily work environment work on board. We are waiting for recommendations from the Work Environment Authority in this respect. We also plan to write about a ship that is a particularly fine example of a work environment-friendly design. We will get back to you with the name of the ship in question. We will also be presenting the new web-based course on harassment and insults on board during the spring, on which work started last year.

Happy reading!

Linda Sundgren