The Profession of Ordinary Seaman (OS) on Ship An ordinary seaman is the person who is assigned deck jobs as a trainee on ships.Working and gaining experience as a trainee followed by a couple of years as ordinary seaman allows an individual to get a promotion as an able seaman.But in spite of such routine and a lowly job description, it has to be noted that an ordinary seaman's profession is something that is well appreciated and admired.The profession of an ordinary seaman (mostly known as (OS) allows a person to work on the deck of a ship majorly.An ordinary seaman has the most menial jobs out of the entire category of merchant marine jobs.This is because merchant marine jobs like deck jobs require vigilance, alertness and complete physical fitness.In addition to these requirements, an ordinary seaman is expected to be on-his-toes round the clock in case any emergency and life-threatening situations crop up. Also, if an ordinary seaman is not able to perform these duties properly it would hamper his chances of getting chosen or qualified as an able seamanAbsence of an ordinary seaman would lead to absence of hierarchy and dearth of a helping hand for other crew members.Mandatory health tests are the primary requirement in case one wants to take up seaman jobs like that of an ordinary seaman.