|
This Black History Month, we share a pivotal new paper on creating safe working environments for underrepresented scientists at sea by Diva Amon, Zoleka Filander, Lindsay Harris, and Harriet Harden-Davies. The deep-sea community can no longer ignore the fact that working environments at sea are often uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst for our Black colleagues and all those who have long been marginalized in ocean science.
The authors state that actions need to be taken by the oceanographic community at large to stamp out antisocial behavior and ensure equality of well-being and safety during time spent at sea. They recommend developing an integrated framework that should consider individual and organizational power dynamics, unambiguous and enforced standards and policies, and confidential mechanisms for reporting and handling incidents.
For those of us who spend many months at sea or oversee seagoing operations, it is critical that we better understand how our behaviors and actions affect those around us and endeavor to create a safe space for everyone to work. This paper is particularly important for us at the Ocean Discovery League as we continue to develop technologies and capacity programs to expand access to the deep ocean. I strongly encourage you to read it and reflect on how you and your organization can contribute to ensuring safety at sea.
Thank you,
Katy Croff Bell
Founder & President
Ocean Discovery League
|
