This guide briefly examines the hazards of exposure to the cold that may endanger life, and provides advice based on the latest medical and scientific opinion on how to prevent or minimize those dangers. It is a sad fact that people continue to die at sea through a lack of this knowledge. Knowing what is likely to happen if you are exposed to cold water is a survival aid in itself. A thorough understanding of the information contained in this booklet may some day save your life - or someone else's (IB946E).
1 Introduction
2 Cold water hazards and their effects: knowledge that can improve survival chances
3 Actions prior to abandoning the ship
4 The survival phase: in a survival craft
5 The survival phase: in the water
6 The rescue phase: guidance for those engaged in search and rescue
7 Treatment of people recovered from cold water
8 Treatment of people recovered from survival craft
9 The apparently dead
10 Summing up
As a specialized agency of the United Nations, IMO is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. Its main role is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted and universally implemented.
In other words, its role is to create a level playing-field so that ship operators cannot address their financial issues by simply cutting corners and compromising on safety, security and environmental performance. This approach also encourages innovation and efficiency.
Shipping is a truly international industry, and it can only operate effectively if the regulations and standards are themselves agreed, adopted and implemented on an international basis. And IMO is the forum at which this process takes place.