BBS Group Report Q3 - 2019

Credits: IMT

Note: This report focusses on the concern area ‘Equipment’ which has been one of our highest concern
areas. Use the guidance provided to address this concern on your ship.

Executive Summary

We continued to have almost 100% BBS cover on all our full managed ships with each ship averaging over 7
observations per month (7.4). Most ships completed all focus observations suggested by us based on the recent
accidents in our fleet. We would like to thank the Master and the entire team onboard for making this possible and
continuing to drive this program with enthusiasm.

The BBS feedback in the safety meeting record indicated a growing belief and acceptance of BBS onboard. Safety
officers have been working hard to explain the concept of BBS to the crew. We must be patient and understand that it
takes time to bring out behavioural changes. There will be greater participation and acceptance when the crew sees the
benefits of BBS in terms of lesser accidents.

Almost 96 % of the observations carried out in this quarter were ‘safe’, which is very encouraging. The top concern
behaviours of this quarter were ‘did not assess hazards’, ‘did not consider PPE necessary’ and ‘did not keep area clean
and tidy’.

‘Did not assess hazards’ is a concern which needs to be addressed through effective risk assessment and tool box
meetings. Ensure that all hazards related to the job are identified, disucssed and understood by all personnel involved
in the job.

‘Did not consider PPE necessary’ reflects a dangerous attitude that the observee does not care for the company policy
of mandatory PPE usage. Find out during the feedback process if this is indeed the case before choosing this option in
BBS 02. Identify the actual concern and try to address it best possible to the satisfaction of the observee. Unless he is
convinced, it will be difficult to instill this good behaviour in him / her. Drive home the point that the Company is very
strict on compliance with the PPE matrix and it is for his own personal safety. Refer to the BBS report Q1 2019 for
further gudiance on addressing PPE concerns.

‘Did not keep area clean and tidy’ is a housekeeping issue. Housekeeping is important not just for a good cosmetic
appearance which is crucial for successful inspections / audits but also to prevent accidents. An organized work place
further helps in improving the general wellbeing of the worker and enables more efficient work.

Page 1 of 8
 BBS Group Report Q3 - 2019

Reduction in work related injuries is the best indicator on whether BBS is working or not. Thanks to your efforts, we
have seen a reduction of all injury types (LTI, TRC and FAC) in the last 18 months when compared to the previous
corresponding period figures. BBS along with the other safety initiatives, which we are continuously trying to improve
like PPE matrix, stop work cards, will surely produce positive results in the long run. You need to trust in the power of
BBS and display this openly in your body language especially during the feedback process and discussion in the safety
meeting.

We are here to support you in making your ship safer and accident free. Please keep sending your feedback through
the dedicated BBS section in the safety meeting minutes.

BBS feedback

The BBS feedback received in this quarter is generally positive. The crew have been open to BBS observations and
generally appreciative of the safety inputs received following the observations. The ship ‘Yan Zhen Hai’ nicely described
BBS as a good tool to improve and divert old mindset on the right path of safe behaviour.

Ship staff welcomed the new PPE matrix with pictures as it is easier to understand and helps in addressing the biggest
BBS concern on PPE use. With regard to maintaining PPE stock and quality, the ship ‘Ridgebury John Zipser’ suggested
the following:

• Supply of all PPE from one approved company supplier

• Maintain a proper inventory of PPE updated every month and
• Send a 3-monthly stock list along with quality report to office

Some concerns were noted on a new takeover ship regarding PPE quality. Office must ensure that all PPE as per
company matrix and conforming to BSM quality is provided for immediate use when our crew takes over.

Some crew expressed being very conscious while being closely watched by senior officers during BBS observations.
This nervousness led them to making mistakes which they would not do otherwise. The crew should get comfortable
after a few observations and when they realise that this exercise is not about finding faults. This is where the observer
has to play an important role to allay such fears with a friendly but professional approach.

The ship ‘Fastron’ has described safety culture very nicely as follows:

A total safety culture is a culture in which:

• Individuals hold safety as a value and not just a priority

• Individuals take responsibility for the safety of their co-workers in addition to themselves
• Crew at all levels are willing and able to act on their sense of responsibility

The following are requirement any approach to safety at work:

• Respectful, trusting, open communication between management and employee groups about all aspects of
safety in the workplace.

Page 2 of 8
 BBS Group Report Q3 - 2019

• An open, feedback-rich culture among employees, which enables employees to consistently learn and grow
• A commitment to improving the profile of and attitude to health and safety and increased employee
engagement in safety

Normally the observers are officers and observees are the crew (ratings). This needs to change - some ships have
created specific schedules for BBS observations involving all ranks to counter this issue which is the ideal way to go.

Some ships reduced the number of observations made in a month so that they could focus more on the quality which is
the right approach.

Based on a feedback from DE SMC, we are revising the BBS 02 observation form to include a comment box. Ships can
provide more details of the concern chosen from the drop box. This will help the office in getting a better picture while
reviewing the BBS 02 and provide better feedback.

Key action points

Ship actions:
• Focus on the theme for this quarter to reduce ‘equipment’ related concerns and discuss this in detail in the
safety meeting
• While carrying out the focus observations advised by office, discuss measures to prevent similar accidents on
your ship
• Ensure that you choose the correct category of concerns and their causes while recording same in the BBS 02.
Seek advice from office if in doubt regarding choosing the right option
• Ensure involvement of all crew and officers as both observers and observees.
• Discuss the report with the crew and see how to reduce the repeating concerns on your ship
• Demonstrate to the crew through the injury statistic how their efforts in implementing BBS is helping in
reducing accidents
• Seek assurance from the crew that they will consciously follow BBS good practices at all times until it becomes
a habit
• Encourage the use of stop work card by praising people using them and making them comfortable in its use
• Develop a caring attitude for the safety of your peers – look out for any dangerous practices. Use the BBS
approach to correct the dangerous acts and conditions

Office actions:
• Follow-up regularly individually with your ships on BBS matters to ensure correct implementation on board.
• Monitor closely the BBS and SCM reports received from the ship to address their concerns and suggestions to
improve.
• Provide monthly BBS feedback covering all aspects collected from the ships BBS / SCM reports and PAL BI
• Brief joining personnel on the importance given by the company to BBS and clarify any doubts with regards to
using the form BBS 02
• Ensure BBS training of all office personnel so that they use the BBS concept while interacting with the ship staff

Page 3 of 8
 BBS Group Report Q3 - 2019

Focus concern area – Equipment

This time our focus is on ‘Equipment’ category which has been one of the top BBS concern areas consistently. In this
quarter, 13% concerns were related to equipment use.

Under ‘equipment’, the highest sub-area of concern was improper use of tools (37%), followed by poor condition of
tools / equipment (27%).

The highest concern behaviours exhibited under equipment were ‘using defective equipment’ (28%) and defective
equipment (23%). The highest correct action was replacing the equipment (47%) and familiarizing the crew member
(26%).

Maintenance work in the engine saw the highest level of accidents in the last 18 months. Inadequate
supervision/coaching and lack of competence were the leading root cause of accidents identified during this period.

Several of these accidents were related to the use of power tools, equipment operation and maintenance.

Equipment - Best Practice

Tool box meeting - discuss Check condition and Electrical tools / equp. - Lock out and tag out before
tools, permits, maintenance suitability of tools for job check insulation and proper starting maintenance
procedure etc. before every use earthing

Complete work permits and Maintain equipment as per Follow makers instruction Use original spares and store
RA for equipment planned schuled (PMS) procedures safely to prevent damage /
maintenance corrosion

Supervise maintenance work Machinery guards in place Post warning near auto- Do not allow unauthorized
particularly junior ranks after servicing start equipment personnel to operate
equipment

Page 4 of 8
 BBS Group Report Q3 - 2019

Accidents related to equipment:

Following are some typical accidents in our fleet related to ‘equipment’:

• Finger entrapment while opening cargo hatch cover / booby hatch / manholes
• Mooring ropes parting / fingers trapped while securing / casting off tug lines
• Power tools – cutting disc disintegration due to worn sized / rpm rating of disc
• High pressure water making body contact while repositioning hydro blaster nozzle / shifting location
• Slipping spanners due to excessive wear / improper type for the task
• Failure of lifting gear – steel plate slipping off slings / nylon strop failure
• Burst hoses due to improper material / improper connections – whiplash, hot-water / chemical burns
• Changing fan belts – inadequate measures to prevent movement by inertia / air draught
• Removing pipelines / valves for maintenance – steam / hot water splash
• Cargo lashing on container ships
• Motor suddenly starting on auto while cleaning
• Finger slicing while using kitchen knife in galley

Page 5 of 8
 BBS Group Report Q3 - 2019

Main Areas of Concern (3Q’19)

AREAS OF CONCERN
On-board management
8% PPE
17%
Personal factors
18%

Body use and position

24%

Work environment
20%

Equipment
13%

Top 5 Concern Behaviours (3Q’19)

Key concerns (what was the concern)

2353
2215
2500

2000

1500 1149 1143 1081

1000

500

0
Did not assess Did not consider Did not keep area Overconfidence Risks not properly
hazards PPE necessary clean and tidy assessed

Page 6 of 8
 BBS Group Report Q3 - 2019

Crew Injury Trends – 12 months rolling average for the last 18 months (1 April.’18 to 30
Sept. 2019)

• The injury figures over the last 18 months when compared to the previous corresponding period showed
improvement as follows:
- LTIF improved to 0.67 from 0.82
- TRCF improved to 1.69 from 1.98
- FACF improved to 0.87 from 1.21

• The injury figures for the 12- month rolling average for 3Q’19 when compared to the same for 2Q’19 indicated
as follows:
- LTIF remained same at 0.75
- TRCF rose to 1.82 from 1.73
- FACF reduced to 0.81 from 0.89

• Over the last quarter, the TRC has increased but LTIF has remained same and FAC has reduced. This indicates a
rise in the number of medical treatment and restricted work cases. However, it is encouraging to see a
reduction in the first aid cases.

Page 7 of 8
 BBS Group Report Q3 - 2019

Main Injured Body Parts (Last 18 months - 1 April’18 to 30 Sep.’19)

Top 10 Injured body parts (Last 18 months -

1 April'18 to 30 Sep. 2019)
100
88
Total Injuries (LTI + TRC + FAC)

90
80
70
60
50
40 34
30 25 24 21 21 21 20
20
10 9
10
0
Finger Hand Eyes Lower leg Ankle Knee Back Face Wrist Head
Body part

• Fingers, hands and eyes were the highest body parts injured considering all injury types (LTI +TRC +FAC)
• Finger injuries were the highest of LTI, TRC and FAC cases individually
• Hand injuries were the 2nd highest of LTI and FAC (9 each)
• Eye injuries were the 2nd highest of TRC injuries (15)
• 1 hand injury and 1 finger injury were PPD (permanent partial disability)

 Completed  

Page 8 of 8