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All field projects aboard a NOAA ship are defined by formal Project Instructions which cover the operational and administrative details of the cruise. Certain additional forms and procedures are also a necessary part of project preparation and execution. The Chief Scientist and/or Principal Investigator retains the primary responsibility for preparing and submitting the Project Instructions and related material. Execution of the project as described therein is the joint responsibility of the Chief Scientist and the Commanding Officer.
Please use the following outline as a guideline for writing your Project Instructions. Items with an exclamation mark (!) are required to be included in the instructions, other sections should be included when applicable. Please number each section and paragraph (i.e. 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 2.1a, etc.). This will help with the review and editing process. The following are standard text inclusions with short explanations for some of the items. Here is an example of a past set of project instructions.
Standard items to be included in project instructions for cruises aboard a NOAA ship.
Section numbers are for convenience, these items can be incorporated into your project instructions where they fit in. Items with an exclamation mark (!) are required, others should be included when applicable.
Material Safety Data Sheet: All hazardous materials require a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Copies of all MSDSs shall be forwarded to the ship at least two weeks prior to sailing. The Chief Scientist shall have copies of each MSDS available when the hazardous materials are loaded aboard. HAZMAT for which the MSDS is not provided will not be loaded aboard.
The Chief Scientist will provide the Commanding Officer with an inventory indicating the amount of each hazardous material brought onboard, and for which the Chief Scientist is responsible. This inventory shall be updated at departure, accounting for the amount of material being removed, as well as the amount consumed in science operations and the amount being removed in the form of waste.
All HAZMAT, except small amounts for ready use, must be stored in the HAZMAT Locker. If science party requirements exceed ship's storage capacity, excess HAZMAT must be stored in dedicated lockers meeting OSHA/NFPA standards to be provided by the science party.
The scientific party, under supervision of the Chief Scientist, shall be prepared to respond fully to emergencies involving spills of any mission HAZMAT. This includes providing properly trained personnel for response, as well as the necessary neutralizing chemicals and clean-up materials. Ship's personnel are not first responders and will act in a support role in the event of a spill. The Chief Scientist shall provide a list of science party members that are properly trained to respond in the event of hazmat spills.
The Chief Scientist is directly responsible for the handling, both administrative and physical, of all scientific party hazardous wastes. No liquid wastes shall be introduced into the ship's drainage system. No solid waste material shall be placed in the ship's garbage.
The embarking Chief Scientist will work with the departing Chief Scientist and the ship's Environmental Compliance Officer to ensure proper tracking of inherited hazardous materials.
Each scientist working with these materials will be required to wear a lab coat and disposable booties to reduce the likelihood of tracking the substance out of the specified working area.
It will be the responsibility of the investigator to conduct pre-cruise (for background) and post-cruise wipe tests (regardless of whether a spill occurred or not). Wipe tests should also be conducted in the event of a spill, as well as periodically while underway.
A detailed procedural methodology describing the use of these materials should be provided to the Environmental Compliance Officer(ECO) for review at least one month prior to bringing them aboard. A spill contingency plan should also be provided at the same time. Please note that ship's personnel are not first responders in the event of a spill.
A log detailing the type and amount of materials brought aboard and removed from of the ship shall be maintained, along with a record of any spills that occurred.
All radioisotope work will be conducted by NRC or State licensed investigators only, and copies of these licenses shall be provided to the ECO at least one month prior to bringing any materials on board.
See "Science User Page" for a specific ship for more information.
The Chief Scientist is responsible for the cleanliness of the laboratory spaces and storage areas used by the science party, both during the cruise and at its conclusion prior to departing the ship.
In accordance with NC Instruction 5255.0, Controlled Substances Aboard NOAA Vessels, dated 06 August 1985, all persons boarding NOAA vessels give implied consent to conform with all safety and security policies and regulations which are administered by the Commanding Officer. All spaces and equipment on the vessel are subject to inspection or search at any time.
Prior to departure, the Chief Scientist must provide a listing of emergency contacts to the Executive Officer for all members of the scientific party, with the following information: name, address, relationship to member, and telephone number. These can be combined with the NOAA Health Services Questionnaire on the forms provided.
See "Science User Page" for a specific ship for more information.
See "Science User Page" for a specific ship for more information.
8.5 Port Agent Services/Billing (!)
See "Science User Page" for a specific ship for more information.
8.6 Wage Marine Dayworker Working Hours and Rest (!)
The Chief Scientist shall be cognizant of the reduced capability of the ship operating crew to support 24-hour mission activities with a high tempo of deck operations at all hours. Wage marine employees are subject to negotiated work rules contained in the applicable collective bargaining agreement. Dayworkers' hours of duty are a continuous eight-hour period, beginning no earlier than 0600 and ending no later than 1800. It is not permissible to separate such an employee's workday into several short work periods with interspersed nonwork periods. Dayworkers called out to work between the hours of 0000 and 0600 are entitled to a rest period of one hour for each such hour worked. Such rest periods begin at 0800 and will result in no dayworkers being available to support science operations until the rest period has been observed. All wage marine employees are supervised and assigned work only by the Commanding Officer or designee. The Chief Scientist and the Commanding Officer shall consult regularly to ensure that the shipboard resources available to support the embarked mission are utilized safely, efficiently and with due economy.
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URL: http://www.moc.noaa.gov/all_ships/instruction.htm
Updated: May 2, 2006