Aiming at safety excellence
When stolt tankers launched its excellence in safety programme in 2006, the one thing management did not anticipate was how difficult it would be to overcome habits learned over a lifetime.”I never would have guessed changing people’s behaviour was going to be so hard – especially when we worked so hard at it! but it was,” says Mark Martecchini, managing Director shipowning at stolt tankers.
The company was experiencing an increasing number of incidents, and with a global fleet of parcel tankers carrying anything from petrochemicals to specialty chemicals and acids, the situation was troubling.Added to that, the ship inspections conducted by its customers, typically major oil companies, were becoming increasingly rigorous.
While Stolt historically had a solid performance record, the stakes were clearly being raised.One of the challenges the company had to overcome was the longheld belief amongst ship crews and shore staff that safety was fine, so long as it didn’t delay the ship. “When it comes to safety and passing inspections, ‘getting it right the first time’ is the most important objective- even more important than getting work done on time,” says mr Martecchini.
“Taking a ship out of service for a short time is far better than experiencing an
incident or having a ship rejected by a customer, which can mean trading restrictions for up to six months.It took a while for some people to understand that. Or perhaps i should say it took a while for some of our people to realise that we really meant what we were saying.
“We ourselves were partly to blame. Commercial pressure, real or perceived, is a fact of life in shipping and we had to reorient shore staff so that our messages to ships were consistent.There will always be time pressure; We’re successful when our officers and crew know they are empowered to prioritise safety over time.”
Working Methodically
The excellence in safety programme identified that incidents can generally be attributed to failures in following established procedures or to a lack of situational awareness. “This is what a culture of safety is all about: preventing things from happening by getting people to work methodically and to take the time to think about what they are doing,” says Mr martecchini.
“Yes, it probably means that a given procedure will take longer. And, yes, it may mean that a crew member might be out on deck – maybe a dark, cold and wet deck -longer than he might want to be. On the other hand, working methodically through every item on that checklist ensures the safety of that crew member, his shipmates and conceivably many others.”
Building Transparency
One of the greatest achievements of the excellence in safety programme has been that crew are now more comfortable sharing information. “Many crew members felt it was inappropriate to point the finger at others, but successful ship operation means everyone must work together as a team, and good team members must accept criticism,” says Mr Martecchini.
Dnv conducts periodic shipboard surveys to help analyse incidents.In the past,if something went wrong, it could be a challenge to get the facts on the table but crews have increasingly come to appreciate that it’s not about blame, it’s about learning from mistakes. “With the transparency we have today, it’s much easier to get to the bottom of an issue,” he says.
And at the bottom of nearly every incident,there is someone who knew, or suspected,something was wrong or about to go wrong.”The difference between a disaster and a close call can sometimes just be a matter of
someone seeing something that everyone else has overlooked. that is why we are so adamant about the notion of calling a ‘time out’ and the need to respect anyone, from an able-bodied seaman on up, who makes
that call.”
Taking it even further
For Mr Martecchini, managing human behaviour is central to the on-going safety development of the company. “This is where DnV’s experience is invaluable.They know us, they know the industry and they know the science of safety,” he says.
Sophisticated parcel tankers are among the world’s most challenging ships to operate,due to the complexity of the ships themselves and the large number of potentially hazardous cargoes they carry.Stolt’s excellence in safety programme continues,now focusing on developing competency in procedures and enhancing situational awareness even further. Although
the company is performing favourably amongst its peers, Mr Martecchini believes the high cost of incidents – to personnel,cargoes, ship availability, reputation and finances – justifies taking safety performance to a far higher level.
“The pursuit of safety is a practice, a way of life,” says Mr Martecchini. “It’s like exercise.You can’t just talk about it, you’ve got to stay focused and do it.”
This article is an extract from DNV’s Forum issue no 2-2011