Tag Archive for: SMS

Annual Reviews – do I need one really?

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We will keep this short….. YES   YES   YES!

 

This year, 2023, has seen many changes in our industry already, and we are only in February!

With the recent changes to Marine Order 504 and the release of Marine Order 505 last month, an Annual Review of your SMS is not only necessary but critical!

All Safety Management Systems including those developed for Domestic Commercial Vessels (DCV) under Marine Order 504 and the ones developed for workplaces under Work Health and Safety are required to undergo an Annual Review or Audit to ensure compliance.

Failure to complete your Annual Review or Audit leaves you non-compliant and exposed to legal action in the event of an incident or accident.

Your vessel’s SMS should be based on a risk assessment of your operations. It should describe how safety, maintenance and operation is managed on your vessel.  This should also be reviewed Annually to ensure the risk assessment remains accurate to your vessel and/or operations.

AMSA can and will conduct periodic reviews of your Safety Management System and Operations.  With the changes that we have seen already this year, we certainly envisage this will be on the increase for 2023!

It has never been more important to ensure your SMS meets NSCV and Marine Order 504 and 505.

Shorlink’s Recommendation

My recommendation is to get out your SMS today, take a look at it thoroughly!

Also, take a close look at your vessel, business and operations to see where and how you can better adapt to the ongoing business climate and the changes to our industry.

Don’t wait!

Tip

My top tip is to ensure your safety management systems comply with the relevant standards and are up to date to ensure you’re protected as both AMSA and WorkSafe are going to be very active this year.

Not sure? We are always here to help.  Drop us a line or call to discuss your concerns.

Also, help a mate in the industry! If you know of a fellow mariner and/or business owner, let them also know of the critical nature of Annual Reviews and we are also happy to discuss with them and offer free assessments of their current SMS.

Ensuring YOU are compliant!

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While your SMS may meet AMSA requirements under MO504 will it stand up if challenged in court?

In many cases…NO!

We all know AMSA assesses SMS’s to ensure they have all the components required under MO504 and we’re all in favour of that because it helps you in getting your SMS up to speed.

But…did you know that while your SMS may meet AMSA’s requirements does it meet Work Health & Safety requirements?

Unfortunately, in many cases it does not which leaves you exposed in the event of an incident.

The bottom line is AMSA undertake an “assessment” of your SMS which does not, in most cases take in the content of your operational and emergency procedures to any extent.

Along with the risk assessments the procedures are the backbone of your SMS and if they are missing or don’t reflect how you do things you’re in trouble.

We’ve been involved in developing, auditing and assessing safety management systems, including risk assessments and procedures for over 30 years and we’re available to help you with your SMS compliance.

Shorlink now has available a number of services to help you in getting your SMS to a level where it offers the best legal protection. Listed below are our 3 key services to ensure your compliance.

  1. Basic Assessment – FOR FREE!
    We take marine safety so seriously, that we offer a free assessment of your current SMS.
    Our Principal Consult will review your current SMS and provide you with a report of areas which should be revised and procedures that should be included if required to meet AMSA requirements.
  2. Gap Analysis.
    Our Lead Auditor will conduct a gap analysis to determine the strength of your SMS including an initial review of your operational and emergency procedures. A written report will be provided upon completion. Prices start at a low $120.00
  3. Full System Audit.
    A full system audit entails a detailed review of your entire SMS including all operational and emergency procedures. This is undertaken by our Lead Auditor. An external full system audit provides the best possible protection in the event of an incident and…gives you peace of mind. For your best price to get peace of mind contact our office by…

Shorlink’s Recommendation

We highly recommend having your SMS reviewed by a competent person who has considerable industry experience.

If you don’t use Shorlink that’s fine but please be aware of people out there saying they have experience when, in fact have little or no relevant experience in the area you operate.

Of course we recommend Shorlink, that’s only natural but if not please be careful of who you engage to assess or audit your SMS!

Tip

When looking for an external party to assess or audit your SMS and in particular your procedures ask them about their experience in the operations you undertake.

If they don’t have hands on experience in your field, then think very carefully abut engaging them.

Our Principal Consultant and Lead Auditor, Wayne Linklater has been in the maritime industry for 50 years and has extensive hands on experience in boatbuilding, commercial vessel operations, safety management and auditing.

Want to make your life easier?

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Operators are under pressure like never before and just keeping up with business and operations is hard let alone trying to keep your SMS and  crew training requirements up to date.

We’ve developed a unique range of managed services to take the stress, worry and time involvement away from you and free up your time and focus on what you need to.

Something to remember is…just because you tick the AMSA box doesn’t mean you have the adequate legal protection when you need it most and that’s where we come in.

Our managed service options start with complete management of your SMS and related documentation and allow you to add in other services to provide a comprehensive management plan.

SMS Management

Shorlink’s SMS Management is designed to get your SMS compliant and make sure it stays that way.

The basic service includes:

  • Ensuring all crew and other staff are inducted into your SMS
  • Monitoring AMSA for changes relevant to your vessel and operations
  • Updating your SMS where required and updating the Revisions and Review Log
  • Undertaking Annual Reviews and completing the Revisions and Review Log
  • A review of induction documents
  • A review of training records
  • A review of follow-up documents
  • A review of your vessels Log Book
  • Communications with AMSA where required in relation to your SMS

This is a very cost-efficient service that takes the worry away from you about keeping your SMS up to date and compliant at all times.

Professional Maritime Consultancy

Add a set number of hours for maritime consultancy into your plan to suit your requirements. Clients are using this for specific advice and especially where marine incidents are involved. Include hours relevant to you in your plan and get 10% of the current rate or you can pay as needed and receive a 5% discount.

Safety and Wellbeing Consultant

We are providing a highly recognised service for Safety and Wellbeing that can be linked into your maritime consultancy. We act as an external Safety and Wellbeing Consultant where crew members can contact us for advice and support. This is being recognised as a major incentive by WorkSafe and AMSA for organisations of all sizes.

Emergency Response Training

Include any of our specialised emergency response training services into your plan to take even more stress away from you.

Onboard “vessel specific” training (drills)

Designed to ensure your crew have the practical knowledge and skills to handle onboard emergencies. These sessions include

  • Identification and location of all safety and firefighting equipment and appliances
  • Identification, location and operation of all fuel and air shut offs
  • Location and use of engine room fire suppression systems
  • Launching life rafts or Karley Floats
  • Dealing with onboard emergencies
  • In-water survival techniques

This is a valuable service that takes the worry about training requirements and are they being meet and a service that many of our clients are already using.

Hands on distress flare and fire extinguisher training

We provide hands on training in the use of distress flares and portable fire extinguishers where all participants activate a distress flare and portable fire extinguisher. This is all undertaken under the supervision of one of our experienced maritime trainers.

Shore-based training

Our shore-based training sessions are suited to larger organisations where we can deliver:

  • General safety requirement presentations
  • Detailed group SMS inductions
  • Other training as may be required

Managed Service Options

Our managed services are designed to allow you to develop a plan that suits your specific needs and budget. Contact us today to find out how we can save you time and money.

Shorlink’s Recommendation

Our recommendation is to take your stress, worry and time involvement away from areas that you don’t specialise in and hand them over to Shorlink which will allow you to get down to business.

Tip

Contact us to see just how easy and cost affordable our managed services are in comparison to having to deal with keeping things up to date yourself!

Revisions and Annual Reviews – A legal requirement!

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Both revisions and your Annual Review are important things to ensure your SMS remains compliant with Marine Order 504 and covers off the legal aspect in the event of an incident.

Above: Sample of Shorlink’s Revision and Review Log page

Note that you can have a separate form for Revisions and Annual Reviews, but we put them together to make reviewing and auditing your SMS as simple as possible.

One of the first things that will be looked by the authorities following an incident is your SMS and in particular the Annual Review and to a lesser degree revisions. This is to ensure the manual has been reviewed and verified as required by MO504.

If your Annual Reviews are not up to date then technically your SMS is not compliant so be sure to take note of the contents of this newsletter and as always, if in doubt contact Shorlink for assistance.

So…lets look at each one individually.

Revisions

Revisions may be undertaken at any time during the year and must be undertaken when…

  • Any changes to or additional operations have been included
  • There are any changes to a procedure
  • A better way of undertaking a procedure has been identified
  • Any changes to the vessel or machinery are undertaken
  • Any changes to owner’s or emergency contact details
  • Any changes to the DP have occurred
  • Anything else in relation to the vessel, its operations

It’s a requirement that when a revision has been undertaken it must be recorded in an appropriate manner.

Don’t simply change a procedure or any other information and fail to record it because a failure to record it leaves your SMS non-compliant. It also puts you in a dangerous position should an incident occur.

When interviewed you’ll explain what you did and that may not align with the procedure that’s in your SMS that’s where the trouble starts.

So…make sure that if you undertake a revision of any part of your SMS you record it!

Annual Reviews

As the name implies, these are undertaken every year on the anniversary date of your SMS. Failure to undertake your Annual Review may leave you exposed if inspected by AMSA or any of their delegates in an incident.

Completing your Annual Reviews helps if your involved in an incident as it shows that you continually monitor your SMS and the operations onboard your vessel.

We have a set procedure for undertaking Annual Reviews that we recommend be followed to ensure you stay on top of your legal requirements.

I’ve developed this process over many years of dealing with quality systems in my factories and onboard vessels. It’s structured around the international requirements for conducting audits and if followed covers all the aspects required.

Shorlink’s Recommendation

We recommend 2 key steps to ensure you remain compliant at all times:

  1. Whenever you make any changes to your SMS including contact names and details or procedures ensure you print out the pages with the changes, replace the old pages with the new ones and record the details in the review form.
  2. The same thing goes for your Annual Review, ensure you update the pages where changes have been made and record the details in the Annual Review form.

Tip

One very simple tip and that is to record the next due date of the Annual Review in your diary so as to ensure it gets done on time.

If you don’t already a form in place then I recommend you develop a specific form for this purpose to ensure all the required information is recorded.

Log Books

While not technically a log book our Revision & Review Log page is a critical part of your documentation and must be kept up to date. Like a free copy of our Revision & Review Log page then simply email us at sms@shorlink.com and we’ll email you your free Revision & Review Log page!

Log Books – What is required.

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While conducting onboard training and auditing log books it’s become apparent that Master’s either don’t know what they are required to record in the deck log or simply just don’t care.

Marine Order 504 clearly specifies what must be recorded in your log book. Failing to record the required information may leave you exposed in the event of an incident.

Your vessels Log Book  is one of the first things an investigator will look at when investigating an incident.

If the required information is not in the log then you may have serious trouble defending yourself so make sure you record what’s required!

What MO 504 specifies as must be recorded?

The Master must ensure the following details are recorded in the vessels Log Book:

  1. Any illness or injury of persons onboard;
  2. Any marine incident, other incident or accident involving the vessel or its equipment;
  3. Any assistance rendered to another vessel;
  4. Any unusual occurrence or incident;
  5. All communications/messages sent or received for an emergency;
  6. Any operation of the vessel for recreational purposes.

What we recommend as additional information?

  1. Time of departure and arrival;
  2. Time of any passenger briefing where passengers are carried;
  3. New crew inductions and training;
  4. Time of induction of any other persons onboard. This may be contractors, technicians, observers or any other person;
  5. Proposed destination or course;
  6. Summary of weather conditions on departure;
  7. Position at regular intervals;
  8. Any major changes in weather conditions;
  9. Bunkering if not recorded elsewhere;
  10. Dispensing of medical supplies if not recorded elsewhere
  11. Ongoing emergency training;
  12. Any safety issues

While all this sounds like a lot of writing it only takes a few seconds once you get the hang of it.

By keeping a detailed Log Book, you are effectively providing a layer of protection for yourself when an incident occurs.

Many Masters say to me that they’re too busy to do this, but my response is a few seconds every couple of hours can save you days or even months in court defending yourself!

Shorlink’s Recommendation

Our primary recommendation is to ensure you record all of the requirements of MO 504 and we strongly recommend recording all new crew inductions, your position at regular intervals, any noticeable changes in weather and passenger inductions where applicable.

These few items are going to be a big help in the event of a marine incident and possibly time and money in legal costs.

Tip

Our number one recommendations is to get in the habit of keeping your Log Book up to date at all times because you never know when you may need it.

Log Books Deck Log Book

Vessel Log Books are a necessity but there are so many variations out there in size, format and levels of complexity. This is why we developed our Log Book in an easy-to-use format with only the necessary requirements to make recording your information easy. So many of our clients and non-clients have switched to our easy-to-use Log Book, why don’t you?