Arlington, VA, July 24, 2025 – The American Waterways Operators, the national association of the American tugboat, towboat and barge industry, has released its Falls Overboard Prevention Report, a comprehensive, data-driven study analyzing falls overboard in the industry and strategies for prevention.

 

Developed with insights from AWO member companies and case data, the report identifies common causal factors for falls overboard; offers adaptable solutions tailored to a diverse range of operations and vessel types; and provides practical guidance for integrating falls overboard prevention into company Safety Management Systems while promoting a proactive, risk-based approach to mariner safety.

 

Alongside releasing the report, AWO is also organizing Falls Overboard Safety Standdown Day, which will take place on August 28. AWO is encouraging tugboat, towboat and barge companies to pause briefly on August 28 to discuss falls overboard prevention with vessel crews, and to promote falls overboard prevention by sharing their company’s participation on social media, using the hashtags #StopFallsOverboard and #AWOSafety. AWO’s guide to participating in Falls Overboard Safety Standdown Day includes sample discussion prompts for conversations with crews, suggested follow-up actions, social media post examples, and other information.

 

AWO President & CEO Jennifer Carpenter commented: “The tugboat, towboat and barge industry is proud to be the safest mode of freight transportation in the United States, thanks to our industry’s strong commitment to continuous improvement in safety. We commit ourselves every day to doing better. AWO is sharing our Falls Overboard Prevention Report to help companies across America keep mariners safe while moving our nation’s vital maritime commerce, and we encourage companies throughout the industry to join us on August 28 in raising awareness of this critical safety priority.”

 

AWO's Falls Overboard Prevention Report is available here. The AWO participation guide for Falls Overboard Safety Standdown Day on August 28 is available here.

 

To interview Michael Breslin, AWO’s Senior Director of Safety & Sustainability, please contact Ben Lerner at blerner@americanwaterways.com or (703) 774-4823.

 

About the American Waterways Operators

 

The American Waterways Operators is the tugboat, towboat and barge industry's advocate, resource and united voice for safe, sustainable and efficient transportation on America's waterways, oceans and coasts. Industry vessels move more than 665 million tons of America's commerce each year on the U.S. inland and intracoastal waterways, the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coasts and the Great Lakes.

 

For more information about the importance of waterway transportation, please contact AWO at (703) 841-9300 or visit AWO's website at www.americanwaterways.com.