Looking into crew’s past can help make ship’s future safer

Those of us who have been in the marine work force for any period of time can usually recall a work mate whose past mistakes or present poor judgment catches up with them in a rather dramatic way.

Often, these incidents – even minor ones – take on a life of their own, impacting fellow crew for weeks or months afterward. We all operate under the general assumption that our fellow mates are good people who follow the rules on and off shore. The reality, of course, is that this is not always the case.

As with other checks or tests we experience in life, a background check is really only as good as the check itself, and then it is only good for the moment in time that the check was conducted. An example would be the recent TSA requirement for licensed USCG crew members to have a Transport Workers Identification Credential (TWIC). The background investigation conducted only covers what has occurred in the past and is good for five years. Until the credential is renewed the potential exists for someone to be arrested and go un-detected for the next five years.

The first responsibility of any captain is the safety and well being of his/her crew and passengers. Routine pre-employment and periodic background checks are an essential first step in the performance of this responsibility, thus demonstrating due diligence in providing a safe work environment.

The need for background checks becomes even more important for non-licensed crew or those who have not undergone the minimum of TWIC credentialing.

In today’s security-conscious environment (not to mention the litigious mindset of our culture), not conducting periodic background checks is fool hearty. Criminal arrest records and most civil actions are public records and therefore available to anyone. Local, city, state, and federal agencies charge an administrative fee to search their records and respond to inquiries.

The best and most practical means of acquiring these records for the purpose of a background check is to use an online service or a professional firm specializing in conducting background checks.

As the responsible party for accomplishing this task, I strongly recommend captains not conducting the background inquiry themselves. By outsourcing the task to a professional agency, a captain demonstrates a degree of due care and diligence in the event litigation ensues as a result of an event or termination.

In addition, the ability to accomplish a thorough and comprehensive check when dealing with foreign countries, especially Third World countries, is not a job for the do-it-yourselfer.

How often a background check should be conducted is really a matter of personal preference. One must remember that a background check is only good for the period of time up until the check is conducted.

For this reason, I prefer to conduct periodic background checks on a yearly basis, normally prior to the time of yearly performance evaluations.

Pre-employment screenings should always include a comprehensive check as well.

Once a background system has been initiated, yearly update checks would only cover the previous year, thus keeping the cost to a minimum. A comprehensive multi-country background check normally costs about $250 and yearly updates are about $100.

Two companies with experience in working with the marine industry are Carco Group (+1-631-862-9300) and Scott-Roberts and Associates (+1-561-253-6380).

When confronted with the responsibility of maintaining a safe workplace environment for crew, passengers and guests (which often may include minor children), it is difficult to imagine or justify not having a program in place to conduct periodic background checks.

Any resistance to a policy of conducting background checks is quickly quelled when the reasons are rationally explained and possible consequences understood.

Given the potential impact to the overall yacht’s operation as a result of experiencing an incident that could have been avoided by conducting a simple background check, I weigh in on the side of routine and periodic checks.

Jim Kelleher is president of Securaccess, a global security consultancy based in South Florida. Previously, he managed security for the industry’s largest fleet of private Feadships. Contact him through www.securaccessinc.com or at +1-954-294-8530. Comments on this column are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com .