SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The safety management system (SMS) is an organized system planned and

implemented by the shipping companies to ensure safety of the ship and marine
environment.
SMS is an important aspect of the International safety management (ISM)
code and it details all the important policies, practices, and procedures that are to
be followed in order to ensure safe functioning of ships at the sea.
The purpose of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code is to provide an
international standard for the safe management and operation of ships and for
pollution prevention.

 Procedure and guidelines to act in an emergency situation

 Safety and environmental protection policy
 Procedure and guidelines for reporting accidents or any other form of non-
conformities
 Clear information on level of authority and lines of communication among
ship crew members, and between shore and shipboard personnel
 Procedures and guidelines to ensure safe operations of ships and
protection of marine environment in compliance with relevant
international and flag state legislations
 Procedures for internal audits and management reviews.
 Vessel details.

In short, a safety management system would consists of details as to how a vessel

would operate on a day to day basis, what are the procedures to be followed in
case of an emergency, how are drills and trainings conducted, measures taken for
safe operations, who is the designated person etc.

Safety management plan is mainly the responsibility of the owner of the vessel, or
the designated person, or the person appointed by the owner. However, the
ship’s master and the crew are the best people to make an SMS as they know the
vessel inside-out.
Sections

An SMS is divided into sections for easy reference. They are:

 General
 Safety and environmental policy
 Designated person (DP)
 Resources and personnel
 Master’s responsibilities and authority
 Company’s responsibility and authority
 Operational procedures
 Emergency procedures
 Reporting of accidents
 Maintenance and records
 Documentation
 Review and evaluation.

RISK ASSESSMENT

RISK - probability, or frequency, of occurrence of a defined hazard and the

magnitude of the consequences of the occurrence.” “a situation involving
exposure to danger”

HAZARD - A substance, situation or practice that has the potential to cause harm.

 The process whereby decisions are made to accept a known or assessed

risk and/or the implementation of actions to reduce the consequences or
probability of occurrence.”
 concerned with observing the company’s activities and operations,
identifying what might go wrong, and deciding upon what should be done
in order to prevent it. The areas pertained to are:

 Identification of hazards – identify hazards or situations most likely to

occur on the job.
 Assessment of the risks concerned – analyze and assess risk involved in the
job.
  Application of controls to reduce the risks – procedures and equipment to
be followed or used to ensure safety and proper working environment.
 Monitoring of the effectiveness of the controls

 helps in evaluation of each hazard associated with the risks in terms of the
likelihood of harm and its potential aftermath. This assists in enabling the
company to imply priorities and exploit its scarce resources for greatest
effect.

PERMITS ONBOARD A SHIP

 The permit-to-work system is a method whereby safety procedures are

specified in writing on a form issued to seafarers who are entrusted with a
task which may involve work of a hazardous nature.

 The form should describe the work to be carried out and the necessary
safety precautions. All foreseeable hazards should be considered, a
predetermined safe procedure should be adopted and the appropriate
precautions should be written down in a correct sequence.

 The permit should contain a carefully planned checklist to identify, control

or eliminate hazards and should state the emergency procedure in the
event of an accident.

HOW WORK PERMIT

Hot work permits are used when heat or sparks are generated by work such as
welding, burning, cutting, drilling, and where work involves the use of pneumatic
hammers and chippers, non-explosion proof electrical equipment (lights, tools,
heaters), and internal combustion engines. Three types of hazardous situations need
to be considered when performing hot work:
 The presence of flammable materials in the equipment.
 The presence of combustible materials that burn or give off flammable vapors
when heated.
 The presence of flammable gas in the atmosphere, or gas entering from an
adjacent area, such as sewers that have not been properly protected.

COLD WORK PERMIT

Cold work permits are used in hazardous maintenance work that does not involve
“hot work”. Cold work permits are issued when there is no reasonable source of
ignition, and when all contact with harmful substances has been eliminated or
appropriate precautions taken.

CONFINED SPACE ENTRY PERMIT

Confined space entry permits are used when entering any confined space such as a
tank, vessel, tower, pit or sewer. The permit should be used in conjunction with
a Code of Practice that describes procedures to follow.

The following are the points that need to be followed before entering an enclosed
space:

 Ÿ Risk assessment to be carried out by a competent officer as enclosed or

confined space entry is deficient in oxygen, making it a potential life
hazard.
 Ÿ A list of work to be done should be made for the ease of assessment for
e.g. if welding to be carried out or some pipe replacement etc. This helps
in carrying out the work quickly and easily.
 Ÿ Risk assessment also needs to be carried out. Risk assessment includes
what work to be done, rescue operation etc.
 Ÿ Potential hazards are to be identified such as presence of toxic gases
 Ÿ Opening and securing has to be done and precaution should be taken to
check if the opening of enclosed space is pressurized or not
 Ÿ All fire hazard possibilities should be minimized if hot work is to be
carried out. This can be done by emptying the fuel tank or chemical tank
near the hot workplace
 Ÿ The confined space has to be well ventilated before entering
 Ÿ Space has to be checked for oxygen content and other gas content with
the help of oxygen analyzer and gas detector
 Ÿ The oxygen content should read 20% by volume. Percentage less than
that is not acceptable and more time for ventilation should be given in
such circumstances.
 Ÿ Enough lighting and illumination should be present in the enclosed space
before entering
 Ÿ A proper permit to work has to be filled out and checklist to be checked
so as to prevent any accident which can endanger life
 Ÿ Permit to work is to be valid only for a certain time period. If time period
expires then again new permit is to be issued and checklist is to be filled
out.
 Ÿ Permit to work has to be checked and permitted by the Master of the
ship in order to work in confined space
 Ÿ Proper signs and Men at work signboards should be provided at required
places so that person should not start any equipment, machinery or any
operation in the confined space endangering the life of the people working
 Ÿ Duty officer has to be informed before entering the enclosed space
 Ÿ The checklist has to be signed by the person involved in entry and also by
a competent officer
 Ÿ One person always has to be kept standby to communicate with the
person inside the space
 Ÿ The person may also carry a lifeline with him inside
 Ÿ The person should carry oxygen analyzer with him inside the enclosed
space and it should be on all the time to monitor the oxygen content. As
soon as level drops, the analyzer should sound alarmed and space should
be evacuated quickly without any delay
 Ÿ No source of ignition has to be taken inside unless the Master or
competent officer is satisfied
 Ÿ The number of persons entering should be constrained to the adequate
number of persons who are actually needed inside for work
 Ÿ The rescue and resuscitation equipment are to be present outside the
confined space. Rescue equipment includes breathing air apparatus and
spare charge bottles
 Ÿ Means of hoisting an incapacitated person should be available
 Ÿ After finishing the work and when the person is out of the enclosed
space, the after-work checklist has to be filled
  Ÿ The permit to work has to be closed after this.

WORKING ALOFT PERMIT.

HIGH VOLTAGE PERMIT.

HOT WORK PERMIT SAMPLE

M.V./S.S.: POSITION / PORT

VALID FOR FROM hrs DATE:
PERIOD * TO hrs DATE:

Specific Location, Description of Work and Equipment to be used:

Special Precautions

Personnel Assigned to Work:

Officer Responsible for Supervision of Work:

Officer Responsible for Safety:

Agreement Received From Office (where applicable):

Date / time received:

From whom (name):
By method (i.e. e-mail, phone
etc)

We are satisfied that the hotwork permit instructions, and checklist

requirements have been complied with, and that it is safe to proceed with
the work as described.

N.B. Any alteration to the conditions required to comply with the checklist
items will invalidate this permit.

Officer Responsible for Supervision of Work

Signature:
Officer Responsible for Safety Signature:

Master’s Signature:

I am satisfied that the work described has been completed on or before the
end of the above mentioned period*
and that all persons under my supervision, materials and equipment have
been withdrawn.

Officer Responsible for Supervision of Work

Signature:

Date: Time:

*Valid period not to exceed 8 hours.