To cut costs MSC will no longer provide CIVMARS with sun screen, lip balm or condoms.
Talk about zero protection when your on liberty in any pacific port.
As a tax paying citizen of this great republic, I’m appalled that our mariners might face the harsh dangers of sunburn and syphilis! This needs to be remedied immediately.
I wonder what costs more: condoms or plane tickets for a relief? A single ticket from America to Djibouti, Singapore, Bahrain or Philippines could otherwise have bought a lot of condoms. It’s like painting the steel hull. Small cost for paint prevents high costs of corrosion.
Sunblock could easily be considered PPE for tropical work environments just as ear plugs are for noisy work environments. So that change I don’t understand.
I could be wrong but I don’t know if jones act actually covers an injury while in port if it’s your own negligence. In which case the employer wouldn’t legally be on the hook for repatriation
Edit: I totally agree with u about sunblock though. They should make it PPE. But until the courts or OSHA or the IMO or someone makes it so, I doubt it will.
Since they are not provided, buying them on your own (at least the sun screen and lip balm) makes them a legitimate business expense. Tax deduction!
[QUOTE=LI_Domer;126793]I could be wrong but I don’t know if jones act actually covers an injury while in port if it’s your own negligence. In which case the employer wouldn’t legally be on the hook for repatriation[/QUOTE]
Only willful misconduct voids the shipowner’s obligation to pay maintenenace and cure. Courts have repeatedly found it applies to negligence while ashore, see e.g. [U]Koistinen v. American Export Lines, Inc.[/U], 83 N.Y.S. 2d 297 (N.Y. City Ct. 1948) [Summary at: http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2009/12/fun-cases-that-you-dont-know.html ] The original opinion is entertaining to read, but I can’t find it on-line, at least not for free.
Here’s another, Warren v. United States, 340 U.S. 523 (1951) (http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/340/523/case.html)
Seems funny. But items like sunscreen and lip balm and yes even condoms are just markers that suggest deeper cuts in other areas. I’m going to bring this up to some of my colleagues who are medical services officers. Chances are there are other arguably more important medical items being pushed off the allowance lists for medical. As an aside, when you are mandated by the navy to take some of the anti malaria’s, you may be more susceptible to sunburn. Bottom line: The office hates you.