Australian tuna farming companies are experimenting with different pontoon set-ups including moveable platforms and double-ringed pontoons with the intent of making the industry safer.
Tuna industry spokesman Brian Jeffriess said despite a relatively good safety record with only two fatalities over the previous decade, the industry acknowledged the dangers and initiated changes through Workplace Services SA.
Possible modifications in the future included double rings for the pontoons and a number of companies were experimenting with different pontoon lay-outs and positions of support stanchions.
Local engineering company Diesel Marine Services (DMS) has built pontoons as far away as Mexico and is now working on building safer tuna cages for workers.
One concept was to build lightweight, modular platforms that fit over the existing pontoons and that could be moved and placed on farms when needed such as at harvest time.
Mr. Jeffriess said Workplace Services should be congratulated for working with the industry and the cooperation should lead to safety improvements being instituted faster.
Workplace Services executive director Michele Patterson said the risks associated with working on sea cages were now well recognized throughout the industry.
â€As part of an overall risk assessment approach, the industry is looking at the ways in which activities are carried out on the cages, with a view to eliminating risks at their source,†Ms. Patterson said.
Risks to be managed include the provision of proper walkways and platforms compliant with Australian standards, the provision of appropriate forms of predator protection for workers while standing on the pontoon rings and systems to prevent falls into the water.
Workplace Services principal inspector Craig Rutjens said the issues could be addressed through engineering controls, which might include the replacement of existing cages, or retrofitting/upgrading of sea cages incorporating the necessary structural changes.
â€As a part of the whole risk assessment approach, the industry is also looking at the way in which activities are carried out on the cages with a view to eliminating the risks at their source,†Mr. Rutjens said.
One tuna farm manager who hopes the process can continue to be flexible is John Isle of MG Kailis, who noted different industries such as aviation had different standards.
â€You can't necessarily apply building standards for land to sea cages,†Mr. Isle said.
He said it was in any company's best interest to be the safest possible and his own company had trailed a different number of set ups including double rings.