Development of a Safety Management Assessment for the International Safety Management Code
Authors: Szwed P.S. , Bea R.G. 
Published: October 2008

Numerous studies have identified that the vast majority of high-consequence maritime accidents are largely attributable to human and organizational factors. Some would argue that human and organizational factors play a significant role in all maritime accidents. In an industry where technological equipment and hardware solutions have typically been applied to improve and promote shipboard safety, it has become increasingly important to examine and exploit human and organizational factors as an area fruitful for overall safety improvement. This paper summarizes the development and application of an International Safety Management Code based Safety Management Assessment System (ISM-SMAS) for shipboard systems. The ISM-SMAS provides a framework and the opportunity to focus on the human and organizational factors that have a major influence on the safety of marine operations.

Background

Marine casualties persist despite the maritime industry's technical improvements and innovations (redundant systems such as tanker double hulls). In light of this, the International Maritime Organization adopted the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code) contained in Resolution A.741(18) in 1993. The ISM Code provides a unique opportunity for shipping companies to improve their safety through its implementation. The ISM Code, unlike a vast majority of governmental rules and regulations is not prescriptive; instead, the seven-page document provides guidelines for the basis of a safety management system. This Code focuses proactively on the safety of life at sea and environmental protection not through additional equipment or mandatory provisions, but rather outlines what a company's safety management system must functionally address.

The objective of this study was to develop an assessment instrument and protocol that focuses on human and organizational factors of marine operations. It was envisioned that this instrument and its protocol could be used in periodic or random first and third party assessments of marine operations in determining compliance with the International Safety Management Code and ultimately in developing reasonable mitigation measures and management strategies for addressing identified factors of concern. This assessment instrument and its protocol are also well suited to the offshore industry where technological solutions have traditionally prevailed.

Dating back to the 1940's, quality control and quality assurance were first introduced in strictly land-based industries and later developed to encompass the entire spectrum of a company's activities, including marine and offshore operations. Similar principles were adopted by the offshore industry in the early 1970's in the North Sea, but for various reasons failed in practice, leading to an inflation of documentation and paperwork. Once again, quality came to the fore in the early 1990's in the form of the ISO 9000 series of quality systems. Developed as a common set of international standards, the ISO 9000 series are now widely accepted and promoted by authorities and industry worldwide.

Unquestionably, the safe and reliable operation of a ship and its cargo should be defined within the scope of quality management for any transportation service.