5 Nov 2023
This week's safety blog is on the topic of Safety Management Systems and we will cover what is a Safety Management System and what we think should be contained within yours.
Weekly Blog- Safety Management Systems
Understanding what a Safety Management System is and what is required for it can be quite confusing. The lack of clear and proper guidance from official boating industry bodies only further adds to this confusion. With it being so unclear on what is required, the Sail Safer philosophy on this, is to go by the internationally approved Safety Management System format of the maritime industry in the form of the International Safety Management Code or ISM Code for short. We thoroughly acknowledge though that this is a standard that is way above what is required for a small boat. However, we believe that taking on this well established international shipping industry law and incorporating it into the boating world is the best option as it lays down a defined structure for an SMS, is made for the maritime market and helps to boost the safety levels within your company to the highest they can be.
So what is a Safety Management System?
“A Safety management system means a structured and documented system enabling company personnel to implement effectively the company safety and environmental protection policy” Part A, Section 1.1.4 of the International Safety Management Code 2018 Edition. In essence, a Safety Management System is a set of documents that enables the members of your crew to ‘implement effectively’ the safety ideas that you have set for your business. It should do this by giving clear and concise instructions and procedures on how to do regular tasks or operations, ensuring that you have prepared for the worst case scenario and putting proper and effective control measures in place to minimise recognised risks.
So what sections do we think you should include within your Safety Management System?
At Sail Safer we think you should have at least:
-A Health, Safety and Environmental Policy
-Risk Assessments
-Method Statements
-Procedures for various Emergency Scenarios
-A method for reporting of non-conformities, accidents and hazardous occurrences
-A plan for Safety Equipment Maintenance for the vessel and its equipment
Although we think this is the minimum that you should include within your Safety Management Systems, this does not quite reach the level that we at Sail Safer are striving to provide for our customers. As one of our aims as a company is to try to increase the level of safety within the boating industry, we are setting ourselves a level much higher than this to produce on behalf of our clients. A level that would look at home on a ship and that best incorporates the International Safety Management Code whenever possible.
If you are interested in our services and want to increase the standard of safety within your company or want further information please contact us on info@sailsafer.co.uk or +447835598705