Working in what many consider to be the most dangerous job classification within TOTE Services, Nathan White, Assistant Foreman, is no stranger to performing difficult tasks. Whether he’s helping tear down an engine, crawling through muck in the bottom of a tank, or performing routine tasks, as a vessel mechanic, he always keeps a safety mindset and ensures everyone works as a team.
Talk to any Saltchuk Safety Award winner, and they’ll tell you: ensuring that everyone makes it home safely every day is everyone’s responsibility. Each year, Safety Award nominations come from across the Saltchuk family of companies, highlighting employees who go the extra mile for safety. We asked each of the dozen 2024 awardees to tell us something about themselves and why they like to play it safe on the job.
Getting to Know Nathan
Q: Tell us about yourself. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school?
“I was born in Burien, Washington, just south of Seattle. I went to school in that area until 1990 when we moved to Federal Way, Washington. I attended elementary and junior high, then went to Decatur High School where I was able to work as a teacher’s assistant in the automotive tech classes.”
Q: What led you to your current career as a vessel mechanic?
“Growing up, my father was a millwright at Boeing. Being able to watch and work with him at home, as well as going to Boeing Career Day when I was young, really piqued my interest in mechanics, machining, fabrication, and welding.
I was not a stranger to turning wrenches when I started out as a helper here in the Vessel Maintenance Department at TOTE in 2010. I had known for a while an influential figure, Turp Christianson, who worked here for many years. He took a gamble on a hard-working kid, and I took it as a chance to work as hard as I possibly could to learn anything and everything about how our ships work and operate.
I began by cleaning and rebuilding engine parts in the shop and very quickly went along onboard the Midnight Sun for an engine overhaul.
Within the first few months of working at TOTE, I rode the ship multiple times learning how all the engine parts were disassembled, cleaned, inspected, and re-assembled or replaced. Our machinistat the time Frank Ciejka, who was a very skilled guy, was able to make and create so many parts from scratch. I took a great interest in the machining aspect of our shop and was able to learn from watching him.
Unfortunately, Frank passed away due to cancer within just a few months of knowing him. I was absolutely humbled beyond words when I found out weeks later that he had left all of his tools to me. When his son came to the shop I would be lying if I said I didn’t cry when I heard the news. From that moment forward, I wanted to carry on in his footsteps and TOTE paid for me to take certificate classes on manual mill and lathe.
I was also very fortunate to be able to work with a man named Waldemar from Austria who represented MAN, the manufacturer of our main and auxiliary engines on the two Orca Class vessels. Working alongside Waldy who had been with MAN for nearly 50 years and knew the 58/64 engine inside and out, led to gaining a great deal of knowledge and understanding of our engines, how they work and overhauling them.”
Safety to Nathan
Q: In your own words, why were you nominated for a safety award? Tell us about working on the ships and what you do to ensure safety while working in “the most dangerous job classification” within our companies.
“My line of work can be extremely strenuous and dangerous, filled with long, exhausting days and jobs that are completely unexpected. Our team and I have become well-adapted at rolling with the punches. We know that when an unexpected repair or emergency comes up that we need to be able to not only assess the safety aspect of the job, but know what gear and tools we will need to make that job go as easy as possible.
Sometimes we must fly to meet the ship in Alaska, and we work directly with the ship’s crew to make sure we have all the appropriate gear we need to do our jobs safely. That includes working on structural steel repairs in a man-lift, knowing all the possible hazards that come with hot work and working from heights. It also involves moving large, heavy pieces of new equipment in and out of tight spaces such as the engine room, with many pieces of lifting gear needed to complete the task. We might work in confined spaces such as a ballast tank that can be close to 100 feet deep and be a maze of frames and structure inside.
We must be well-versed in what needs to happen to keep everyone safe before any of these jobs begin. A regular day for us can quickly change in a split second, so the “see something say something” attitude must be implemented from everyone — our newest team member on up through to our senior leadership.”
We must be well-versed in what needs to happen to keep everyone safe before any of these jobs begin. A regular day for us can quickly change in a split second, so the “see something say something” attitude must be implemented from everyone — our newest team member on up through to our senior leadership.
Working with TOTE Services
Q: Your working conditions can vary significantly by the job you’re doing — the ship may even be underway. How do you ensure that you and your team have prepared for the unique requirements of each assignment?
“We work closely with the ship’s crew and we all look out for each other. Before any work is done in a risky situation, a Job Hazard Analysis is reviewed by all of our group as well as the crew to make sure any and all necessary safety equipment is put into place and we have as many eyes on the situation as possible.
We have to use gas detectors to make sure a space is safe for entry, as well as making sure an area is safe to weld in. With our vessels now carrying and burning LNG (liquified natural gas) as fuel, any hot work area is double checked to make sure everyone stays safe.”
Q: What was your first impression of TOTE Services? Tell us your favorite story about your time with the company.
“My first impression of TOTE was amazement: all the parts, the ships, the yard, all the cargo operations, everything to do with shipping is all on such a large scale. I still look up in amazement when the ships are docking at how big they are and how many moving parts must come together to make all of this work.
When TOTE was still operating steamships, I had the chance to go to Grand Bahama Shipyard a few times to do work on some of the steam turbines. My wife was able to come along, and it was a wonderful experience to visit that island for a few weeks.”
Developing A Safety Mindset
Q: Is there something in your life that drove your commitment to safety?
“There are so many hazards in this line of work, from harmful particulates getting into your lungs and eyes to loud noises in many areas in the shop and onboard the ships. There are hazards in working near heavy equipment, around machinery and near welding operations.
My family and getting home to them at the end of the day is my No. 1 commitment to safety, first and foremost. We frequently travel to the shipyard with the ships. While working at Victoria Shipyards through the years, they have a giant mirror when you walk through the gate that says, “This picture to your family is priceless – WORK SAFELY.” As we walk into the yard in the mornings it really sticks in your mind.
My father has always stressed safety in everything he taught me, working and retiring after 44 years in a similar industry. I have always looked to him for advice, as his job was dangerous as well.
Making sure all our co-workers can go home to their families is Job No. 1 as well.”
Q: Think about a time in your career when you felt like what you were doing might not be completely safe. What did you learn from that experience?
“There were many times when we were tearing down our main engines for the conversion to LNG when this came up. Basically, the entire engine (eight in total) had to be dismantled and moved out of the engine room piece by piece while the ship was still sailing from Tacoma to Anchorage. With some of the pieces weighing close to 5 tons, this was no easy feat. There were many times where the route we had planned to take had to change because something did not fit or was not the safest way to go about moving these items.
Each time the whole team got together and with everyone’s insight and eyes on the task, a safe approach to our dilemma was found and completed. Having everyone take a step back and look at the whole picture often brings ideas from outside the box that help ensure a safe and accident-free outcome.
Another time, long ago, I was asked to go into the forepeak tank on our ship the SS Great Land to try and locate and open a valve. The ship was laid up and the tanks had been open for weeks and were being ventilated daily and deemed safe for entry. A coworker and I entered the tank and went all the way down the ladders to the bottom, around 80 feet. In the bottom of that tank was about two to three feet of mud and muck that we were supposed to crawl through to get back to the area in question.
We both began to quickly realize if something were to happen, there was no one up at the top to call for help if either one of us got stuck or injured. Even a flashlight going out can be a risky situation in a dark tank. We came out muddy and had not completed our task but requested that we wait to do this job until someone could be available to help.
Knowing what I know now, we should have never entered that tank without a “hole watch” or someone that could call for help and assistance if needed.”
Q: Speaking up for safety can be difficult for some people. What advice would you give to someone within our family of companies who is convinced their feedback won’t matter—or worse, that they’ll somehow be punished for taking action?
“Any feedback that you can offer can and will greatly help the organization.
Often, many people on the opposite side of the company may not know how a certain group works or goes about their day. If no one speaks up, then the policies and practices that are here to ensure that we all go home safely at night cannot be modified and implemented in a way to make sure all employees are safe.”
Meet the 2024 Saltchuk Safety Award Winners:
When a workout starts the workday, everybody wins
Carlile Hostler Al Estencion has been named the 2024 Saltchuk Michael D. Garvey Award for Distinguished Service in Safety For Aldin “Al” Estencion, safety in the workyard isn’t much of a stretch.
Aldin Estencion, Hostler, Carlile Transportation
From flatrack to hazmat, George Salazar is on it
The Tropical Shipping Cargo Handling Specialist is the recipient of the 2024 Saltchuk President’s Award for Safety Innovation.
