Training and drills are essential. Crew must familiarize themselves with emergency signals, muster list duties, location of life-saving appliances, escape routes, and survival methods as soon as they join a ship.

Personal protective clothing and equipment must be donned correctly: lifejacket, immersion suit, and thermal protective aid.

When called to survival craft stations, proceed immediately to the assigned station, don lifejacket, and prepare to board.

When abandoning ship, board survival craft quickly but in an orderly manner, jump from a height if necessary while keeping body vertical, and swim away from the ship.

In the water, swim while wearing lifejacket or immersion suit, keep afloat without a lifejacket, right an inverted liferaft, and board survival craft from the water.

Aboard survival craft, stream the drogue or sea-anchor, operate equipment, and use location devices including radio equipment.

Main dangers to survivors are heat stroke, sun stroke, exposure to cold, frostbite, cold shock, hypothermia, seasickness, secondary drowning, dehydration, drinking seawater, fire or oil on water, and dangerous marine organisms.