Cruise Ship Safety & Maintenance Issues – CDC Vessel Sanitation Program Understanding cruise ship health is critical not only for crew members, but also for those seeking to work on a cruise ship. From personal hygiene and frequent hand-washing to sanitation and proper food handling, there are plenty of policies, procedures and regulations to keep a cruise ship healthy. Proper maintenance of the on board facilities is absolutely critical to supporting and facilitating the ability of the cruise ship to meet these standards. The CDC maintains a Vessel Sanitation Program. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) helps the cruise industry protect the health of travelers and prevent transmission of gastrointestinal illness to U.S. ports. VSP inspects ships in U.S. ports. Unannounced sanitation inspections assess how well ships operate and maintain sanitation standards in accordance with the current VSP Operations Manual. VSP inspectors provide public health guidance to cruise ship staff when standards are out of compliance. At the end of inspections, inspectors write a report describing inspection findings and recommendations. The program posts inspection reports on the VSP website. Go to the CDC’s : https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionSearch.aspx You can select from various cruise ships and various cruise lines. Using the search feature on this site, under “Select a Cruise Ship or Cruise Line” select “**All Vessel Inspection Scores”, under “Select an Inspection Date Criteria” Choose “All Dates” and under “Select a Score Criteria” please choose “85 or lower (NOT Satisfactory Scores)”. You will see a long list of various cruise ships that scored 85 or lower. From this list choose three reports to view. Review some of the content of these reports, looking specifically for any infractions that are the result of poor cleaning and maintenance. If you do not see many cleaning/maintenance related issue on one report, simply look at another. After viewing at least three reports, please answer the following questions: • List and briefly describe five different cleaning and maintenance related infractions. • For each of the five infractions, please provide a short summary of how this infraction could have been prevented (using key words, key concepts and best practices we have studied in class). • Out of all the infractions, which infraction most surprised you and why? • Related to the infraction that most surprised you, what is the potential negative impact this lack of cleaning/maintenance would have on the guests/staff/cruise line? In other words, what are the potential negative ramifications of this cleaning/maintenance oversight? • Given the increased awareness by gusts on cleaning, sanitation, and safety and guest focus on health and safety when traveling as a result of COVID-19, what is the potential impact to cruise ships that do not pass these inspections/develop a negative reputation related to cleanliness, maintenance, and safety?
