 ACCIDENT PREVENTION

 GENERAL
The Company undertakes to provide a workplace in which employees can work without harm to
themselves, other persons or the environment. Good occupational health and safety requires
good management at all levels on board.

A ship, by nature, is a hazardous workplace, however almost all hazards onboard can be identified
and removed by the ship’s crew.

Personnel must never use faulty equipment, damaged protective clothing or engage themselves
in unsafe working practices.

Crew members are encouraged to stop any operation that they consider to be unsafe. Any
observed departure from normal safe working practices is to be reported immediately to the
safety officer, Head of Department or the Master so that the situation can be rectified as soon as
possible. Each member of crew is supplied with a Staff Notebook which contains a pad of note
paper that may be filled in detailing unsafe acts or occurrences and handed to the immediate
supervisor or head of department. The Head of Department is to maintain a file and summary of
these notes. This notebook also includes information and guidance concerning safe working
practices and should be carried at all times.

Safety is the responsibility of all personnel serving on board ship. The risk of accidents can be
effectively reduced by observing safe working practices, complying with procedures, as well as by
identifying and eliminating hazards.

 SAFETY FAMILIARISATION & ADMINISTRATION

 Crew Familiarisation
It is important that all new personnel joining a vessel are to undergo a safety induction or
familiarisation before they take up their duties or before the ship sails, whichever is first. Details
of this are to be found in Form SAF 01 or CAN49 along with a record of the same.

Bridge Familiarisation form NAV 06 must be completed by all deck officers upon joining the
vessel and countersigned by the Master.

Engineer Officers must be fully familiarised with equipment and procedures. Form TEC 29 is
used for this purpose and is to be completed as soon as possible after joining the vessel and is to
be countersigned by the Chief Engineer.

In addition, should any crew member or officer undertake a new assignment onboard, such as a
new position or promotion, this it is essential that additional familiarisation in relation to the new
assignment is carried out and recorded.

 Contractor Familiarisation
Contractors intending to sail with the vessel must receive formal Safety Familiarisation.
Although such personnel are responsible to their own leader, Ship's Officers must ensure that
Sea-Going Maintenance personnel undertake their duties on board in a safe and efficient
manner, and comply with the requirements of the Company’s Quality, Safety and
Environmental procedures.
 To ensure that contractors are fully aware of these requirements, the booklet Safety
Requirements for Shore Contractors When Serving On Board must be provided and
completed. Where members of the contractor team do not speak English, the Team Leader is
to instruct his team as to the requirements of this booklet in the appropriate language. Upon
completion of these instructions, the Team Leader and each team member are to initial the
checklist.

 3.3 HEALTH SAFETY & ENVIRONMENTAL (HSE) COMMITTEE AND SAFETY

REPRESENTATIVE

 a) The Committee
In order to promote a strong safety culture and awareness on board a safety committee will meet
at monthly intervals. The committee is to provide a forum on board where matters concerning
safety, health and accident prevention can be openly discussed.

The committee will comprise of the following:

 Master (acting as Chairman)

 Chief Officer (Safety Officer)
 Chief Engineer
 An Officer (to act as Committee Secretary to record minutes)
 An Officer *
 One Rating *

Any other crewmembers that wish to take part should be encouraged to attend. In addition any
Company representative, riding squad representative or contractor who may be on the ship at the
time a meeting is convened is to be requested to take part in the meeting.

 b) Safety Representative
Where a rank above is marked above with an asterisk (*) this should be an elected Safety
Representative chosen by the crew on board. Elected safety representatives should have more
than 2 years consecutive sea service since attaining the age of 18 which, in the case of a Safety
Representative on board a tanker, shall include at least 6 months service on such a ship.

To ensure the number of representatives is appropriate to the size of the vessel, the number
should be based on the following:-

6 – 15 crew - 1 elected by Officers and ratings together.

16+ crew - 1 elected by the Officers and one elected by the ratings.

The Master must record the election or appointment of every safety representative in writing in
the official logbook.

A safety representative cannot have his appointment terminated by the Company or Master. He
can resign or the crew can elect another in his place. Otherwise, the remains a Safety
Representative for as long as he serves on the ship.

The purpose of the Safety Representative is to represent the interests of the crew with regards to
health and safety matters on board. Safety representatives should:
  Put forward their views and recommendations in a firm but reasonable and helpful manner;
 Be sure of the facts and be aware of any legal positions;
 Be conscious of what is reasonable practicable.


 c) HSE Committee Meeting Minutes

Meetings are to be held at regular monthly intervals, the minutes recorded using Form SAF 17
and sent to the relevant management office using email or other suitable electronic transmission
such as Shipsure E-Form where available.

A statement is to be included in the minutes as to whether the vessel is complying with company
safety procedures. Any deviation from these should be noted in the minutes and agreed with the
office.

As well as being a useful management tool on board, the minutes are an essential part of the
Company’s safety monitoring programme.

A copy of the minutes is to be posted on the crew notice board.

In addition, an extra-ordinary safety meeting is to be held on board as soon as possible after

notification of a serious accident or incident within the Company. This is to enable all on board to
discuss the incident/accident, to identify possible shortcomings on board their own vessel and to
agree on the implementation of any measures necessary to prevent such accident/incident with
respect to their own vessel. Minutes of such extra-ordinary meetings must be recorded and
should be appended to the next scheduled meeting minutes.

 SAFETY OFFICER
The Chief Officer is the designated Safety Officer on board the Company’s vessels. His
responsibilities to the Master with regard to safety include:

 Accident prevention
 The promotion of safe working practices throughout the ship
 The correct use of safety equipment and protective clothing
 The maintenance of all safety equipment on board
 Reporting and recording accidents, incidents and near-misses
 Assist with the preparation and review of risk assessments

The Safety Officer is to carry out regular (at least monthly) safety inspections of the vessel and
record the inspection in the deck logbook.

Any points that are raised during this inspection are to be recorded and discussed in the monthly
safety meeting. Any points requiring immediate attention are to be dealt with on an urgent basis.
This safety inspection is also to be supplemented with the vessel’s self assessment.
 CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
An understanding of human weaknesses and flawed processes enables individuals and companies
to develop individual and collective procedures to prevent errors before they lead to more costly
and damaging accidents. The collective term for this is Crew Resource Management and is
explained as follows:-

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 Individual
As individuals we all have limitations, we often believe that we may be better than we are.
Individual weaknesses can be compensated by working closely within a Team.

 Team
Working together as a Team will assist in reducing the risk of an accident or incident occurring.
The observations made by the Team may be used for single person errors. The Team is often
the last, the most flexible and only intelligent safety barrier. For the team to operate effectively,
the following factors need to be taken into consideration.

 Culture
People may have different attitudes towards authority and rank. They may also have different
national, occupational, organisational and company culture experiences. This could affect the
operational atmosphere, communication and the safety culture.

A crew that evens out these differences in the daily work, co-operates better and creates a safer
working environment.

 Operational Atmosphere
Operational atmosphere is a result of how we work together and treat each other. Therefore,
operational atmosphere influences motivation, well-being, and the quality of communication and
feeling of safety on board. It also influences our participation in our team, as well as the whole
team spirit.

A good operational atmosphere increases the possibilities for a correct situational awareness and
good decisions.

 Communication
Communication has a major influence on safety. If colleagues do not communicate well and the
understanding is poor, wrong decisions could be made.

Open communication enhances knowledge as well as motivation. Open communication also

increases the volume of information, understanding and willingness to contribute. This in turn
leads to improved quality and safety.
  Procedures
Procedures, rules, guidelines, toolbox talks, risk assessment forms, checklists and work permits
are safety tools. They critical in a stressful working environment.

Commercial pressure, lack of time or well-known tasks can lead to shortcuts or less attention.
The operational choices we make can have a serious effect on safety.

In every day work good teams make sure that they perform their work correctly and safely,
according to rules and procedures.

 Stress / Workload
Stress and workload have a great effect on our working capacity. These factors influence our
ability to perceive the situation correctly and to make the right decisions, and they can make us
work and think irrationally.

A good crew plans ahead and does not give in to pressure that may compromise safety. A good
team leader plans the work throughout, delegates work tasks, prioritises the tasks, and takes
each team members’ capacity into consideration.

 Sleep / Fatigue
Work at sea can be intensive and there are long periods without rest. A lot of accidents happen
in port, and also between midnight and dawn. Fatigue increases performance variability, slows
reactions, increases errors and leads to reduced motivation and laxity. It is therefore necessary
to plan ahead, and if possible postpone the planned work until the team members have taken a
rest.

It is everybody’s responsibility to report fit for work, or to inform the rest of the team when this is
not the case.

 3.6 SHIP SAFETY AND TRAINING RECORD BOOK (SSTRB)

This document is provided to ensure that staff have available an accurate record of maintenance
and inspection of equipment on board and a positive demonstration of good on board supervision
of safety.

The Ship Safety and Training Record Book is also designed to ensure that all persons receive
proper and effective training and are frequently exercised in emergency drills and procedures.
Records of such training are to be kept in the SSTRB.

The book is to be kept on board in the custody of the Safety Officer who is also responsible for
keeping it updated on a weekly basis. The Master is responsible for regularly reviewing the
document to ensure that it is being completed properly.

All sections of the Ship Safety and Training Record Book must be fully and accurately completed.
This provides the vessel with a very comprehensive record of safety maintenance and training.
The Master is to advise the Company of any significant changes to the Book.
On each visit by a Superintendent, the SSTRB must be presented for review, signature and
comments.