Are you ready to play the game?
It is widely accepted that from July 1st we are entering a new era where each and every one of us has to think in terms of Risk Assessment. Example : You are trying to cross the road on a pedestrian crossing while at the same time there is a red light for all cars. One inexcusable person is violating the red light and is sending you straight o the Lord to negotiate your options between Heaven and hell. However the Lord is asking you : Whose fault is it? Why are you here at the moment? You have to review what happened and provide a reasonable answer. Have you properly assessed the dangers of crossing the road? Have you accommodated for Contingency Planning? and the ultimate one : Whose fault is it?
I have been asking this simple question to conferences and training courses recently and the answer is a simple one. The fault lies with the person who is paying the cost. Who is paying the cost here? YOU. Yes you who is currently negotiating with the Lord.
You do understand the meaning of the story. We all have to be proactive. Something easier said than done.
There are several interesting developments lately with respect to Risk Management, to name but a few:
- Deep Water Horizon / Macondo Oil Spill
- ISO Standard 31000:2009, entitled Risk Management Principles and Guidelines on Implementation.
- OPA 2010 developments, that is U. S. Oil Pollution Act immediate revision due and the end of the liability limits with respect to Oil Pollution which may include severe consequences (fines, unlimited liability, civil and criminal penalties, and other goodies) for failure to implement a proper safety culture
We have seen many developments so far in the shipping industry. It happened once every 20-30 years, this is the time now. After the Exxon Valdez disaster and the leguratory wave of the early/mid 90s (SIRE, Vetting, ISM, MARPOL Amendments, SOLAS Amendments, GMDSS, STCW 95 etc) it is happening now. We have Risk to be implemented attached with STCW 2010 due, MLC and other goodies due for implementation starting from 2012.
It is an era that calls for leadership in the industry. It is a time for the good and evil to fight. We will see who is going to win.
