BST Course (Basic Safety Training)

Lesson 1 • Maritime Safety Regulatory Overview

Covers international conventions and flag-state obligations that define seafarer safety duties. Connects regulatory context to practical compliance throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Safety Communication and Signage

Explains standardized safety signs, signals, and communication protocols used at sea. Ensures trainees can interpret and relay critical safety information accurately.

Lesson 3 • Hazard Identification on Board

Introduces systematic methods for recognizing physical, chemical, and operational hazards aboard vessels. Builds the observational skills needed for risk assessment in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Donning Immersion Suits and Life Jackets

Trains correct donning of immersion suits and life jackets within required time limits. These skills are directly applied in subsequent water-entry and survival craft drills.

Lesson 2 • Safe Water Entry and In-Water Survival

Covers controlled entry techniques and in-water survival positions to minimize heat loss and injury. Builds on donning skills to prepare trainees for open-water scenarios.

Lesson 3 • Survival Craft Operation

Teaches launching, boarding, and operating liferafts and lifeboats in emergency conditions. Integrates all prior survival skills into coordinated crew action.

Lesson 4 • Rescue and Recovery Procedures

Addresses helicopter rescue, rescue boat recovery, and survivor transfer techniques. Completes the survival sequence from abandonment through successful rescue.

Lesson 1 • Fire Science and Shipboard Risks

Explains combustion chemistry, fire classes, and the unique ignition risks present on vessels. Establishes the scientific basis for all firefighting strategies covered later.

Lesson 2 • Firefighting in Enclosed Spaces

Addresses the additional hazards of fighting fires in confined shipboard spaces with limited ventilation. Integrates BA set use with hose team tactics for interior attack.

Lesson 3 • Hose Teams and Boundary Cooling

Develops coordinated hose team skills including nozzle operation, water supply, and boundary cooling. Builds on extinguisher skills to address larger, more complex fires.

Lesson 4 • Fixed and Portable Fire Detection Systems

Covers smoke, heat, and flame detectors plus manual call points and alarm panels. Trainees learn to interpret alarms and initiate correct response procedures.

Lesson 1 • Burns, Fractures, and Immobilization

Addresses assessment and first aid for thermal burns, scalds, and musculoskeletal injuries. Prepares trainees for the injury types most frequently encountered in maritime accidents.

Lesson 2 • Environmental and Medical Emergencies

Covers hypothermia, heat illness, drowning, and common medical crises relevant to seafarers. Integrates with survival training to provide end-to-end emergency care capability.

Lesson 3 • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Trains adult CPR and AED use to international resuscitation guidelines. Practical manikin sessions build the muscle memory required for effective chest compressions.

Lesson 4 • Wound Care and Hemorrhage Control

Covers assessment and treatment of cuts, lacerations, and severe bleeding common in shipboard accidents. Connects directly to trauma scenarios practiced in later applied drills.

Lesson 1 • Environmental Responsibility at Sea

Covers pollution prevention obligations including waste management, oil spill prevention, and emissions control. Links individual actions to vessel compliance and environmental protection.

Lesson 2 • Workplace Bullying and Harassment Prevention

Identifies forms of harassment and bullying and outlines the seafarer's right to a respectful workplace. Equips trainees with reporting pathways and bystander intervention skills.

Lesson 3 • Fatigue and Watchkeeping Obligations

Explains the physiological effects of fatigue and the minimum rest requirements for seafarers. Connects fatigue management to accident prevention and regulatory compliance.

Lesson 4 • Shipboard Safety Culture

Defines safety culture and examines how individual attitudes shape collective risk levels aboard vessels. Provides the behavioral foundation for all personal safety practices.

Lesson 1 • Permit-to-Work System for Enclosed Spaces

Explains the permit-to-work process, authorization hierarchy, and documentation requirements for enclosed space entry. Ensures trainees can complete and verify permits before any entry.

Lesson 2 • Atmospheric Testing and Monitoring

Trains use of multi-gas detectors to measure oxygen, flammable gas, and toxic vapor levels. Accurate testing is the prerequisite for all safe entry decisions covered next.

Lesson 3 • Ventilation and Atmospheric Control

Covers forced ventilation methods, purging procedures, and inerting risks in enclosed spaces. Prepares trainees to establish and maintain safe atmospheric conditions prior to entry.

Lesson 4 • Non-Entry Rescue Techniques

Trains standby attendant duties and non-entry rescue using retrieval lines and mechanical advantage systems. Emphasizes that rescuers must never enter without proper equipment and authorization.

Lesson 1 • Abandon Ship Drill Execution

Covers the sequence of actions from alarm to embarkation in an abandon-ship scenario. Integrates survival suit donning and survival craft skills from earlier chapters.

Lesson 2 • Flooding and Damage Control

Addresses detection of flooding, watertight integrity measures, and emergency pumping procedures. Prepares trainees to slow or stop progressive flooding until professional assistance arrives.

Lesson 3 • Drill Evaluation and Continuous Improvement

Teaches post-drill debriefing methods and corrective action planning to improve future performance. Closes the emergency preparedness cycle by embedding a culture of continuous improvement.

Lesson 4 • Emergency Organization and Muster

Explains the ship's emergency organization, muster stations, and individual duty assignments. Establishes the command structure that coordinates all emergency responses.

Lesson 1 • Competency Standards and Assessment Criteria

Defines the performance standards and observable behaviors required to demonstrate BST competency. Aligns assessment criteria with international certification benchmarks.

Lesson 2 • Certification and Revalidation Requirements

Explains BST certificate validity periods, revalidation triggers, and the process for maintaining certification currency. Prepares trainees to manage their own professional certification lifecycle.

Lesson 3 • Written Knowledge Verification

Tests theoretical knowledge of regulations, hazard identification, and emergency procedures through structured assessments. Confirms that practical skills are supported by sound conceptual understanding.

Lesson 4 • Scenario-Based Practical Assessments

Presents integrated emergency scenarios requiring trainees to apply survival, firefighting, and first aid skills simultaneously. Evaluates decision-making, teamwork, and technical execution under realistic conditions.