Onboard Safety - Second Edition

This publication highlights current safety issues and best practice techniques across all trades and ship types. Although most safety elements are well established, this book addresses more formalised processes such as delegation within a safety organisation. Labelled diagrams illustrate the chain of command and the part all personnel must play to ensure safe operations on board ship. Human Element topics such as ‘Safety and the Individual’ recommend approaches to ensuring staff welfare on both practical and cultural levels.

Onboard safety is a wide ranging and expansive subject that includes aspects of all operations conducted on board all ship types. From the simplest one person task to the navigation and manoeuvring of the largest ship in the world, safety is central to the modern shipping industry.

Oil tankers, gas carriers, car carriers, bulk carriers, container vessels and specialised offshore support vessels all have particular aspects of their operation that require certain skills, competence and levels of safety awareness from their crews. However, there is a vast number of onboard operations that are common to all ships, irrespective of their design and purpose, and it is those common aspects of safety that this book highlights.

The purpose of the book is, therefore, to introduce the fundamental aspects of ship operations that can provide a safe working environment for all on board, from the regulations and guidance that governs and controls safety, to the basic onboard measures that can be used to mitigate risk. These will include the shipboard safety organisation, inductions and familiarisation for new crew, safe means of access to and on board ship, general housekeeping, risk assessments, permit to work systems and specific hazardous activities such as dry-docking, lifeboat launch and recovery, entry into enclosed spaces and mooring operations.

The majority of these key elements of safety are not new. The shipboard safety organisation has existed for many years and risk assessments have always been a central part of onboard safety, although in a less formal manner. Formalised risk assessments, more detailed permit to work systems and more intensive induction and familiarisation processes are all now incorporated into companies’ safety management systems, and it is to these standards that the modern seafarer must adhere.

By summarising the key elements and by providing, where necessary, case studies of related incidents, it is hoped that this book will act as a comprehensive introduction to onboard safety for crews, trainees and shoreside personnel.

1 Regulations and Guidance
1.1 Shipping Industry Regulatory Framework
1.2 International Maritime Organization (IMO)
1.3 IMO Structure
1.4 Flag State Authorities
1.5 Port State Control
1.6 Classification Societies
1.7 Key Legislation

2 The Human Element
2.1 Regulations and Guidance
2.2 Ship, Equipment and System Design
2.3 Safety Management
2.4 Safety Leadership and Safety Culture
2.5 Safety and the Individual

3 Safety Organisation
3.1 Regulations and Guidance
3.2 Safety Organisation
3.3 Shore Based Management
3.4 The Master
3.5 The Safety Officer
3.6 Safety Representatives
3.7 Safety Committees and Safety Meetings
3.8 Safety Officer Area Inspections

4 Inductions and Familiarisations
4.1 Rules and Regulations
4.2 Inductions
4.3 Familiarisations

5 Safe Access and Safe Movement
5.1 Regulations and Guidance
5.2 Safe Access
5.3 Safe Movement
5.4 Walkways and Working Decks
5.5 Stairways
5.6 Vertical Ladders
5.7 Emergency Escapes
5.8 Good Housekeeping and Working Practices

6 Watertight Doors
6.1 Regulations and Watertight Integrity
6.2 Categorisation of Watertight Doors (MCA)
6.3 Modes of Operation
6.4 Good Working Practices
6.5 Incident and Accidents

7 Housekeeping and Hygiene
7.1 General Housekeeping
7.2 Galley Housekeeping and Hygiene
7.3 Galley Equipment
7.4 Housekeeping and Hygiene Inspections
7.5 Galley Safe Working Practices
7.6 Potable Water

8 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Regulations and Guidance
8.3 Purpose of PPE
8.4 Types of PPE
8.5 Selection of PPE

9 Risk Assessments
9.1 Regulations and Guidance
9.2 Principles of Risk Assessment
9.3 Risk Assessment Methodology

10 Permit to Work Systems (PTW)
10.1 Regulations and Guidance
10.2 Principles of the PTW System
10.3 PTW System

11 Entry into Enclosed Spaces
11.1 Regulations and Guidance
11.2 Enclosed Spaces
11.3 Enclosed Space Hazards
11.4 Enclosed Space Entry Methodology

12 Safe Use of Work Equipment
12.1 Regulations and Guidance
12.2 Measures and Controls

13 Mooring
13.1 Assessing the Risk
13.2 Permanent Mooring Equipment
13.3 Temporary Mooring Equipment
13.4 Snap-Back Zones and Hazard Identification
13.5 Safe Mooring Practices

14 Dry Dock Safety
14.1 Legislation
14.2 Docking for Class Surveys
14.3 Damage Repairs
14.4 Ship Modifications
14.5 Improved Efficiency
14.6 Types of Dry Dock
14.7 Dry Dock Selection
14.8 Planning and Preparations
14.9 Docking
14.10 Access and Security in Dry Dock
14.11 Work and Associated Hazards
14.12 Control of Work
14.13 Monitoring of Work
14.14 Emergency Response
14.15 Undocking

15 Survival Craft Release and Retrieval Systems (Including Davit Launched Survival Craft Release Hooks)
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Lifeboat Accidents
15.3 Regulations
15.4 Guidance
15.5 Lifeboat Launch and Recovery Checklist

16 Accident Investigations
16.1 Regulations and Guidance
16.2 Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB)
16.3 Onboard Reporting of Accidents
16.4 Onboard Investigation of Accidents
16.5 Accident Area and Preservation of Evidence
16.6 Witness Statements
16.7 Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs)

Witherby Publishing Group

Witherbys titles are developed using scripts developed by technical experts that are peer reviewed within work groups. Typically, they seek to improve understanding of the regulations, recommendations and guidelines issued by Industry.

Witherbys staff have significant expertise in the fields of navigation and hazardous cargoes as well as in the presentation of complex subjects in a graphic and easy to understand manner.

Gary Ritchie

Gary Ritchie, Master Mariner BA (Hons), FNI was Marine Superintendent and Tow Master with Marine Consultancy Trident Offshore. He then became Vessel Superintendent for the Subsea 7 ROV support vessel, Seisranger and the construction vessel, Subsea Viking. His current roles with Subsea 7 are Designated Person Ashore and Company Security Officer.