Capt. Kostas Karavasilis joins Safety4Sea's Crew Welfare Panel Session
Physical Wellness is the direct result of our lifestyle choices and recognises the need for physical activity, a healthy diet, the right amount of sleep and mental health awareness.
In a panel discussion the following experts shared their views on how to promote a healthy lifestyle at sea: Capt. Konstantinos G. Karavasilis, Regional Director, Loss Prevention at UK P&I Club; Kostas Katsoulieris, Senior Executive of Claims at NorthStandard; William Moore, Global Loss Prevention Director and Senior Vice President at The American Club; Periclis Tzardis, Chief Medical Advisor at ShipMedCare and; Sandra Welch, CEO of Seafarers Hospital Society.
Risk factors
The key risks factors that could happen on board, according to Capt. Konstantinos, are the physical activities that can have an impact on physical wellbeing, such as heavy lifting and strenuous movements. This taxing physical activity can develop into illnesses or injury, specifically muscle and stress related issues.
Additionally, he stated that jobs on board can be demanding, the work expected from employees can lead to stress and disruptive sleep. When sleep becomes irregular or shortened this can have a negative impact on mental health.
Capt. Konstantinos stressed that the key priorities for a healthy lifestyle were to stick to protocols, ensure health and safety on board is thorough and for stakeholders to make improvements to the industry’s mental health system.
On top of this he highlighted how stakeholders should make the industry aware of how physical activity can have an impact on health, and to share and develop industry guidelines, to ensure continuous learning.
Immediate impact
If Capt. Konstantinos could change one thing to have an immediate impact on physical awareness at sea, it would be to encourage and educate seafarers on physical wellness. He warned how the industry can sometimes ignore wellness and urged for it to promote a culture of healthy living.
He stressed that the industry needs to pay attention to members on board and to ensure conditions are safe.
“The industry is on the right path with wellbeing, we must remember the importance of resilience.”
You can watch the virtual forum here.
