Published by SEAHEALTH Denmark
ISSUE NO 3
Autumn 2014
A GOOD SAFE WORKING LIFE
4
New chairman:
GUIDELINES ON GOOD
LEADERSHIP NEEDED
Research vessel Dana:
TRUST GAVE
RESULTS 10
ALREADY VERY FEW INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS:
MAERSK TANKERS WANTS
TO GET RIGHT DOWN TO
ZERO ACCIDENTS
Even a very low level of injuries is unacceptable. We don’t
want any at all, declares Tommy Thomassen, Vice President,
Maersk Tankers
”We are now saying that we
want to have zero accidents.”
Previously, the objective of
avoiding each and every industrial
accident at Maersk Tankers
was a remote ambition. The
company also lived with the fact
that it was probably unavoidable
for a minor accident to happen
once in a while but as accidents
have become more and more
infrequent, the ambition of
having none at all has come within
reach. Which is why having zero
accidents is no longer a dream.
Now it is a target.
In many companies where
safety is high on the agenda, it is
almost natural for the target of
zero accidents to be something
they never quite reach.
Accidents will always happen.
“And that is not what we are
saying. We have now had three
Our experience is
your security
- industrial accident insurance for the Danish shipping
for more than 100 years
UFDS • Mutual Insurance Union
Amaliegade 33B, 2nd • DK-1256 Copenhagen K
Tlf +45 3313 8688 • [email protected] • ufds.dk
Danish Shipowners Accident
Insurance Association (UFDS)
Posters targeting specific sections
on ships are one of the many ways
of preventing accidents on Maersk
Tankers’ ships, reports Tommy
Thomassen, Vice President, Maersk
Tankers’ Technical Organisation.
We have now had three
months without an accident
Tommy Thomassen, Vice President,
Maersk Tankers A/S
months without an accident,”
says Tommy Thomassen. “It
seems that it can be done.”
Human error
By far the majority of accidents
happen when crew make mistakes.
A short cut to zero accidents is
therefore to get into the heads
of risk takers at sea.
“If you cut corners in daily
routines, it will go wrong at some
point,” says Tommy Thomassen.
Reminders
One cornerstone in Maersk
Tankers’ annual plan is therefore
campaigns to remind crews to
put safety ahead of everything
else. One example is seasonal
campaigns: “In the autumn, when
we can expect hard weather
and wet decks, we say: Just
remember that this means greater
risks of slipping and stumbling.
In the spring, we remind them of
various other risks.”
Every time there is an
accident, we review what
happened point by point.
We spend a lot of time on
analysis.
Another important factor is
targeted information.
“Our latest effort is to make
posters targeting different
sections of ships showing
specifically what we want in
these particular places,” notes
Tommy Thomassen.
A greater plan
Information and posters are only
parts of a much greater plan,
however.
“Safety is very much a question
of structure. There must be policies,
there must be structures and above
all, there must be a safety culture.
A company can go a long way if
the three factors work together,”
adds Tommy Thomassen.
Maersk Tankers tackles crew
safety culture with training, at
officer seminars for example. The
fact that seafarers focus on, and
have a talent for, acting safely is an
important precondition for being
employed by Maersk Tankers.
The company spends a lot
of time and energy on learning
about even very minor accidents
and near-misses. They take a very
close look at events associated
with a high level of risk.
“Every time there is an accident,
we review what happened
point by point. We spend a lot
of time on analysis. We use the
knowledge we gain from this in
implementing activities to be
certain that we are doing what
we can. We definitely feel that
what we’re doing is right,” says
Tommy Thomassen.
The master plan
Maersk Tankers has been
working on safety for many
The fact that seafarers focus on, and have a talent for, acting safely
is an important precondition for being employed by Maersk Tankers.
Archive photo: Seahealth.
years. Four-five years ago, the
company’s accident statistics
were in line with the industry
ashore. Not bad. But driven by
customers, especially from the oil
industry, Maersk Tankers
decided to raise the bar higher.
Safety on board would also
no longer be a stand-alone. It
should be one part of a master
plan to contribute to a sustainable world. It was a course set
right from the top.
Senior management
taking the lead
In other words, management
took the lead: Maersk Tankers
now has to comply with the concept of sustainability.
“Where we used to look at
safety and environment in
isolation for example, we now
connect things together and
work towards sustainability.
I have no doubt at all that it
gives results. If I should point to
a common denominator for why
things are going even better now
than they were four years ago, it
is the fact that management has
put sustainability, and safety,
on the agenda, says Tommy
Thomassen.
It pays
Maersk Tankers wants to have
a high level of safety, first and
foremost for crew to get home
in one piece. But it is more
than just being altruistic. It
also pays, points out Tommy
Thomassen. He refers to Maersk
Tankers’ own reports showing
that the company’s costs for
example in crew replacements
have fallen as accidents have
declined. n
SEAHEALTH.DK · 3
SEAHEALTH FOR YOU
Seahealth.dk is published by
SEAHEALTH Denmark
Amaliegade 33 B
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T: +45 3311 1833
E: [email protected]
www.seahealth.dk/en
Commissioning Editor
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Editor
Peter Finn Larsen
T: +45 5782 0203
E: [email protected]
Cover Photo
Claus Bonnerup
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About SEAHEALTH
Established in 1993, SEAHEALTH
is a private independent
institution with a board of
12 members, with six from
shipowners and six from
employee unions.
SEAHEALTH works with
the Danish merchant fleet to
promote health and safety for
seafarers regardless of rank.
We provide consultancy
services to shipowners and ships
in order to prevent occupational
injury, including industrial
accidents, occupational disease
and wear and tear. All Danish
registered merchant ships
over 20 GT are obliged to be a
member of SEAHEALTH.
NEW CHAIRMAN
LOOKS ABROAD
SEAHEALTH has a future as an exporter of
knowledge on health and safety, feels
Michael Wengel-Nielsen, newly elected
chairman of SEAHEALTH
One of the leading lights of
maritime occupational health
and safety, Michael WengelNielsen, who participated in the
preparatory work prior to
SEAHEALTH’s establishment,
has replaced Søren Sørensen as
chairman of SEAHEALTH. And it
is a task that he has taken on
because he can now see, 20
years on, that a strategic shift is
needed.
The first step has already
been taken. The Boards of
SEAHEALTH and the Danish
Government’s Seamen’s Service
(where Michael Wengel-Nielsen
is Vice Chairman) have decided
to work more closely together
with a joint administration. Also
as proposed by Michael WengelNielsen, who is the Offshore
Manager, Danish Shipowners’
Association.
“In recent years, SEAHEALTH
has been doing a lot of work
on wellbeing and welfare. The
Seamen’s Service does the same
but on a more practical level so
closer collaboration is obvious
to be able to make better use of
resources,” he points out.
The two organisations are
currently looking for shared
offices.
Good leadership
Michael Wengel-Nielsen
acknowledges that SEAHEALTH
has done a good job in
improving occupational health
and safety at sea. Most recently
with the implementation of
MLC 2006.
“We now need to revise
our objectives and to tackle
entirely new issues. I recognise
that there may be challenges
with the mental working environment but we need to be cautious
and differentiate between
contractual requirements and
human requirements. It is a
difficult balancing act.
As I see things, guidelines
for good leadership may be
needed. Previously, leadership
and management did not get
high priority and good ideas
are probably needed in some
places. I think young people are
fully up to speed on management duties so it is a transitional
phenomenon.”
Project NEPTUNE going forward
The good results obtained during
two years with finansial support
from the Danish Maritime Fund
will SEAHEALTH take forward: To
make information and publications
more accessible to ships.
The project’s steering
committee, which had represen-
4 · AUTUMN 2014
tatives from companies and ships
have been focusing on implementation of the MLC 2006 (ILO), and
in particular, Chapter 3.2, which
is about food quality and skills in
the galley. The results here are four
guidelines that take some structural issues under consideration:
1
2
3
4
Health management
Catering policy
Suppliers – shipowners
Provisioning
Concurrently, SEAHEALTH offered
e-learning, an on-line course
on food hygiene, which after an
on-line exam gives an English
certificate approved by the Danish
Maritime Authority and Danish
Food Administration. 700 persons
have taken the course, both Danish
and foreign and a lot of ships
assistants have greeted the possibility to take a course easy and
simple. Additionally, SEAHEALTH
Michael Wengel-Nielsen: “We
should spread our knowledge about
occupational health and safety
and wellbeing to the international
shipping industry.
Internationalisation
“And I think we need to make an
international effort to communicate the knowledge and experience that SEAHEALTH and the
Danish shipping industry have
gained on how we can prevent
accidents and create healthy,
safe working environments.
MLC 2006 was a step along
the way but the objective must
be for Danish standards to apply
internationally for the benefit of
seafarers and Danish shipowners’
competitiveness. And here too,
there should be a level playing
field for competition.
I can see that at ILO, with
whom I have been operating for
many years, there is growing
interest in health and safety.
This has also led ILO to set up a
committee which will be having
its first meeting on October to
discuss guidelines for MLC 2006.
I’m convinced that we at
SEAHEALTH need to be outwardfacing and I look forward to a
future in which we sell services
to foreign shipowners. If we
don’t, there is a risk of ending
up in navel-gazing. That is
something we should not risk,”
says the newly elected chairman.
has conducted various types of
food courses for ships’ cooks and
ships’ assistants and shipowners
have gained knowledge to raise
the quality of the galley.
In addition, SEAHEALTH
participated as technical
consultant on the ILO guideline
“Guidelines on the Training of
Ships’ Cooks” so NEPTUNE has
put fingerprints on a global
guideline that all maritime
authorities worldwide have to
deal with.
Contact Carsten GydahlJensen, M.Sc. for further
information
E: [email protected]
T: +45 3348 9311
REMOVE
THE DANGER
1
1. The best way is to entirely
eliminate risks, for example in a new
building or by developing technology
and substitution for consumables.
MAKE TECHNOLOGY
BETTER
2. The next best thing is automation,
i.e. making work less harmfull or by
totally removing manual work, meaning
it is no longer possible to be exposed to
hazards.
2
THE 5
PRINCIPLES
OF PREVENTION
5
PROTECT
YOURSELF
5. The least effective
option and the worst
for health and safety is
PPE. But when nothing
else is possible, it is
important to have the
right PPE for the job and
instruction.
INSTALL PROTECTION
4. The fourth best option is to encapsulate
a hazard, for example by installing technical
measures that provide a barrier.
4
3
DO IT
DIFFERENTLY
3. The third best
option is to remove
contamination from
the place where a
hazard arises, for
example by extraction
or by including health
and safety issues in
work planning.
A good working environment with zero accidents and
a healthy climate does not come all by itself. It requires
strategic input from regulators and companies that can
be based on principles of prevention. Prevention is
especially important because doing the same work
every day can be physically demanding and even small
doses of harmful substances can lead to poor health in
the long term. Many solutions rely on design and
innovation, where health and safety have been taken
into consideration, and where dangerous things have
been replaced with those that are safe or less hazardous.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is only equipment
and should only be used if other measures do not protect
against exposure. PPE can also be uncomfortable, unsuitable
or even harmful to wear for a long time. There must
always be a limit to the time PPE is used for different jobs.
SEAHEALTH.DK · 5
NEWS
Photo: Shutterstock
TOO LITTLE SLEEP CAN
LEAD TO WEIGHT GAIN
It takes more energy to stay
awake than to sleep.
If you want to lose weight,
just sleep a little less than you
usually do, and weight loss will
come all by itself.
Wrong.
In fact there is a greater risk
of putting on weight if you sleep
too little - or sleep at the ‘wrong’
times. That means times that
are not part of your normal
daily rhythm, just as people on
changing watches have to.
So says researcher Wessel
van Leeuwen of the Stress
Research Institute in Stockholm.
He is in the process of writing
his PhD thesis on sleep and its
significance. As part of this, he
is collaborating with Chalmers
University of Technology in
Gothenburg and Warsash
This shows that being on a
five day watch when you get
too little sleep can mean
Eating provides a kind of satisfaction. putting on between 500
It also turns out that they eat less
and 800 grams in weight.
breakfast because they have filled up
Putting on weight
on carbohydrates and fats in the
so quickly will probably
course of the night. There is a risk of
be a highly surprising
getting into a vicious circle there can
outcome for most people
lead to additional weight gain.
since very little research
has been done on the
Maritime Academy in Southampton importance of sleep for weight.
on how different watch rosters
at sea affect sleep, fatigue and
The explanation
performance.
The explanation is quite simple.
There is a tendency for people
Surprisingly fast
who sleep too little to eat
Wessel van Leeuwen refers to
more than when they are well
an American research project
rested. And not just that: they
carried out in 2013 at Boulder
tend to eat more unhealthy,
University in Colorado.
fattening food.
Especially on night watches,
there is a tendency to eat to get
energy to stay alert. And if food
is easily accessible, they tend to
eat more than necessary even
though they do not feel hungry.
“Eating provides a kind of
satisfaction. It also turns out
that they eat less breakfast
because they have filled up on
carbohydrates and fats in the
course of the night. There is a risk
of getting into a vicious circle
there can lead to additional
weight gain. Simply because
everyone in principle needs a
good breakfast. It functions to
activate digestion for the day to
come, and less breakfast, either
voluntarily or involuntarily,
means a less well functioning
digestive system with weight
gain in the end,“ explains Wessel
van Leeuwen.
Sleep plays a key role
On the other hand, the research
outcomes from Colorado also show
that returning to a normal daily
rhythm and getting sufficient
sleep means the weight falls off.
But it does not come off quite as
fast as it goes on. The researchers
reported weight losses ranging
from a few grams to 500 grams.
Well-rested research subjects
consumed fewer carbohydrates
and less fatty food that they did
when they had a sleep deficit.
The research shows that
sleep plays a key role in our
metabolism, points out Wessel
van Leeuwen.
“And knowing this, we can
then use it when organizing
catering for people with changing
watches who risk sleep deficits.
As is the case for example in the
shipping industry,” he says.
END ACCIDENTS WHEN LAUNCHING
LIFEBOATS
Slip hooks and other traditional
systems for launching and
recovering lifeboats are
fortunately facing competition
from an innovative new system
– Drop-in-ball
6 · AUTUMN 2014
The Drop-in-ball concept has already been
around for some years and is now a commercial
business aimed at revolutionising safety for
seafarers operating lifeboats.
Confidence in the old systems has been
declining for many years as a result of
accident after accident, especially because
technology has not kept pace with the
development of larger cargo ships and
heavier equipment. New safety rules finally
led to some out-of-the-box thinking in 2008
which has now led to the establishment of
a company which is making, selling and
further developing Drop-in-Ball. Watch the
presentation video here:
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=9kQNmyolt
wM
Sleep and
eating habits
If you sleep too little, you risk
becoming overweight. There is in
fact a link between too little sleep
and being overweight. Researchers
have documented this. Read the
article on p. 6. Put briefly, shift
workers eat more high-calorie
food because the brain is suffering
sleep-deficit. We asked three seafarers whether they think they can
notice the difference between
eating habits at home and at sea.
Henrik Bjørndal Pedersen
Chief Engineer, Uni-Tankers A/S
Hans Hjorth Simonsen
1st Officer, TORM A/S
Freddy Flindt-Petersen
Captain, Uni-Tankers A/S
How many hours do you
normally sleep at home
when you are not standing
watches?
9 hours.
I sleep eight hours at home
and seven when away.
I sleep between seven and
eight hours at home and
away, and for five-six days
a week we sleep absolutely
normally.
What is your typical work
timetable on ship – How
many hours sleep and how
many hours on duty?
My duty hours vary a lot
since I’m chief engineer,
generally 7.30 to 4 or 4.30.
I seldom work more than
10 hours a day.
I work from midday to 16.00
or 18.00, depending on how
busy we are, and again from
4.00 or 6.00 in the morning.
My sleeps is always split into
two chunks. You soon get
used to it.
As the captain, I am
there 24/7. I get up in the
morning and attend to my
duties.
Do you notice any difference
in your body, your head or
your mood, etc., because
you work watches on board?
No. There can naturally be
good tours and bad tours.
Sometimes there is very
little social life on board.
I think being the only Dane
is a problem.
I have noted that when
away at sea, I concentrate
on the duties I have while
trying to think a couple of
days ahead. There is a lot
to inspect and check on.
It can sometimes be
stressful on board but it
does not last.
No, there is no difference. It
varies, both when I’m away
and at home.
What food does the crew get
served on board?
We have a Filipino cook.
The one we most recently
had on board had been on
Norwegian ships, so he was
a little off course for Danish
food. We most often get
stews. Breakfast is Danish
style. We get fruit every
day. Desserts are practically unknown except for
ice cream. Polish seafarers
turn up their noses at
practically all Danish food.
For them, only Polish food
counts.
The food we get depends a lot
on the cook. If it is someone
with little training from the
Philippines or somebody who
has been sailing on Danish
ships for 10 years. It is half
and half for the people I sail
with. That decides whether
rice gets served everyday
or traditional Danish food.
But the cooks are generally
open to suggestion. The
biggest problem is if we
cannot get fresh supplies,
then you can feel your
energy level falling a bit.
The greatest high point
when away is mealtimes,
so food must be in order.
Healthy breakfast with
fruit and wholemeal bread,
two course lunch, soup
and salad. The same in
the evening. We have no
problems in getting the
supplies we need. We have
a large cold store.
What is your favourite kind
of food?
I prefer more traditional
Danish food, ordinary
Danish country cooking, a
broad variety.
When I am on watch on
the bridge, I usually take
along a little fruit or some
rye bread. Otherwise it is
hot food once or twice a
day. I like a mix of some
oriental food once a week
and good Danish roast beef
on Saturdays. European
with a twist of Asian or
Mexican.
I value healthy food. I tell
the cook there are three
things to remember –
variation, variation and
variation. There are no
excuses. It must be in order.
And no food must pass
the shelf life. I try to help
people get as much variety
as possible.
Do you eat differently when
you are at sea or at home?
My wife does everything to
make me lose weight, but I
just don’t. If the cook is trying
hard, we owe it to him at
least to taste the food. I put
on weight when I’m at sea.
I don’t always eat the
same thing but the most
important reason is if there
is a lack of supplies because
of what we get offered
from ashore.
There is practically no
difference in what I eat
when away or at home.
I like cooking when I’m at
home, which my wife thinks
is great.
SEAHEALTH.DK · 7
When we mix seven-eight
nationalities on the same ship,
it is easier to create a shared
corporate culture where skin
colour, religion and origin
make no difference
Michael Elwert,
Captain og director of the Thome Group.
8 · AUTUMN 2014
CORPORATE SAFETY CULTURE
THREE SAFETY
PILLARS
Mixed crews make it easier to create a common corporate culture
How can you get the
10,000 seafarers of 25
nationalities to use a common
standard to focus on safety?
The Thome Group in Singapore
knows about this and in fact it
is easier with many nationalities
on individual ships than if the
whole crew comes from a
single country with a common
background, says Capt. Michael
Elwert. He is a director of the
Thome Group and also has a past
in Maersk and Svitzer.
The Thome Group has
specialized in full manning
services for all types of ship
for more than a dozen shipping
companies that pay for and
expect a high level of safety
culture. Personnel are constantly
rated for their efforts and they
Michael Elwert recognises that it is
human to err, and to prevent human
error turning into catastrophe, the
Thome Group has gained inspiration
from the aviation industry and
introduced a system to filter out
faults before things go wrong.
do it well. In just four years, the
Thome Group has doubled its
business from 5,000 to 10,000
seafarers employed. Globally,
they operate more than 300 ships.
been successful in mixing
nationalities because people
with different backgrounds can
complement each other.
only one way to do things: one
way to work together, one way
to communicate, etc. That is a
single common safety culture,
regardless of
Next, it demands a common understanding
whether you
for everyone in the company that there is
Recipe for safety
come from Yemen,
only one way to do things: one way to work
”When we mix seven-eight
Norway, China
together, one way to communicate, etc.
nationalities on the same ship, it
or Nigeria – and
is easier to create a shared
regardless of
corporate culture where skin
Next, it demands a common
whether you are Christian,
colour, religion and origin make
understanding for everyone
Muslim or Buddhist.”
no difference. We have actually
in the company that there is
The three pillars
”We also do a lot to boost
communications between
THOME GROUP
ship and office. People ashore
need to know what is happening
The Thome Group currently has more than 500 cadets/trainees from
on board and to have the
11 countries. They are part of the company’s long-term investment in
same culture and approach to
building a strong, global corporate and safety culture.
safety,” emphasises Michael
Elwert, who explains: ”Safety
The Thome Group has just received BIMCO’s international award for its
in the Thome Group rests on
work on a highly level safety culture, called the Thome Human Element.
three pillars: skills, attitude,
performance. These are
irrevocably linked because there
is no point in being so clever
if you do not have the right
approach.
Fundamentally, it is therefore all about finding the right
people.” n
SEAHEALTH.DK · 9
INDOOR CLIMATE
It was essential that we
ships’ assistants enjoyed the
confidence of management
Lasse Krog,
Ships assistant.
The crew on Denmark’s only oceangoing research vessel took the lead
in tackling their environment and
ended with a clean ship
NOW IT IS NO LONGER
DUSTY ON DANA
Denmark’s only ocean
research vessel, Dana, is 78 m
LOA and was built at Aarhus
Shipyard in 1980-81. It has 38
cabins for crew and scientific
staff. Then there are laboratories,
communication equipment, IT
etc., which are updated along
technological developments.
Apart from a little maintenance,
everything else is as it was. Solid
but worn. A relic from the 1980s
as evidenced by the signs on
cabin doors when there were still
AB1s. AB2s, etc.
There was however a problem.
The indoor climate was heavily
suspected of being the reason
for several complaints amongst
the crew, such as headaches,
allergic reactions, rashes, nosebleeds and feverish reactions,
reports the ship’s original
skipper, Jesper Rasmussen.
”As a university research vessel
– Dana is owned by DTU Aqua
under the Technical University of
Denmark – I felt we could not
tolerate that kind of thing,” he says.
Oh no, not again
Some interior climate surveys
have been done previously so
there was something of a “we
have been here before” feeling
in the air when the problem was
tackled again. Crews needed
10 · AUTUMN 2014
to be motivated and involved
to provide ownership for any
solutions.
SEAHEALTH provided
consultants who took new
physical measurements and ran
a wellbeing survey.
cleaning team. The ship had
to be cleared out, as it were.
Linoleum had to replace carpets,
old insulation encapsulated.
The extraction system was to be
renewed and the ventilation
system cleaned. Cloth uphol-
The cleaning exercise considerably improved the indoor climate on
the Dana.
Both of these documented
problems: There were high
readings for practically everything that was measured. And
people felt insecure.
With the documentation came
funding from DTU Aqua.
Clear the ship
Ships assistant Lasse Krog was
put in charge of managing the
stery was to be replaced by
leather, curtains replaced,
laboratory and technical equipment removed and reinstalled.
And much more.
Dana arrived in Hirtshals on
28 November two years ago. In
the process, the first cabins had
been cleared so a start had been
made on the job. Lasse and six
assistants and suppliers were
given four weeks to sort everything out.
They finished on 23 December.
Confidence
Lasse Krog reports: “It was
essential that we ships’ assistants
enjoyed the confidence of
management. We were able to
take decisions and did not have
to wait for permission. And there
were some ships’ assistants who
had something against the job.
Everyone got a grip. We were
motivated.
And then it probably helped
that Lasse had been production
manager in Ukraine for three
years at the beginning of the
2000s and was therefore not
backward in dealing with
suppliers or making decisions.
Jesper Rasmussen is impressed
and regards the experience as
proof that it is worthwhile
spending time on motivating
and involving employees and in
consulting with them all. Stripes
or not.
And Lasse Krog is pleased
that it was successful.
“Now it is a clean ship. The
coating of mineral wool dust
that we used to see on PCs after
a couple of days away, we no
longer see. Goodness, what a
difference,” he reports. n
HEALTH CHECK
A group of trainee nurses
offered all delegates a
health check at the MSSM
conference. It was an
instructive and revelatory
experience
11 YEARS OLDER IN
12 MINUTES
You learn a lot from a health check
By Søren Dam Nielsen, journalist
Do I like being pricked by
needles? Or having the circumference of my belly measured?
I would have to say no. Even so,
trying out the health check that
a group of trainee nurses offered
to all delegates at the MSSM
conference was an instructive and
revelatory experience. I would
recommend all seafarers to try it.
It takes just 12 minutes to make you
much wiser about your own health.
Neither was it a great feeling
to have 11 years added to your
age. After a session on a
machine that correlates data
on your bones, fat and muscles,
I stood and waited for the results,
certain that I was probably
5-6 years younger in my body
than the 43 years on my birth
certificate.
I had a shock: 54 years of age
was the message regretfully
passed by the otherwise nice
trainee nurse.
- But exercise can reverse that,
she added reassuringly.
I don’t know how it
is for you out there
at sea, but after
a series of more
or less unhealthy
measurements of
blood sugar, blood
pressure, muscle
strength, flexibility
and breathing, I now
know there is room
for improvement.
And what I learned
from the tests has given
me the desire to make
a start. n
Popping down to the basement to
have blood pressure, blood sugar,
muscle strength, body age and waist
measurement checked was popular
amongst delegates at MSSM 2014.
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