Tag: safety culture

NTSB Safety Culture Forum to enhance transportation safety

Promoting offshore safety at all levels As part of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement's (BSEE) commitment to promoting offshore safety at all levels, at all times, Director James Watson released the Bureau's final Safety Culture Policy Statement.The non-regulatory statement defines nine characteristics that are indicative of a robust safety culture. The policy statement will inform BSEE's regulatory approach to lead the offshore oil and gas industry beyond a checklist-inspection approach toward a systemic, comprehensive approach to compliance."The human factor is the critical element in offshore safety," Director Watson said. "Prescriptive regulations can reduce risks to worker safety and the environment, but they alone are not enough. Everyone working in the offshore industry must adhere to a set of core values that places safety above all else."BSEE defines safety culture as the core values and behaviors of all members of an organization that reflect a commitment to conducting business in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. The Safety Culture Policy Statement informs the offshore community of the Bureau's safety expectations but does not create any additional regulatory requirements. The nine characteristics of a robust safety culture are:Leadership Commitment to Safety Values and Actions. Leaders demonstrate a commitment to safety ...

Safety culture on board a vessel is key to avoiding injuries and claims In a recent case brought to the UK P&I Club's attention a crewman sustained injury whilst carrying out a routine operation working aloft. The case highlights the fact that an adequate Safety Management System (SMS) alone is not enough to combat this type of avoidable injury and that the adoption and encouragement of a safety culture on board a vessel is key to avoiding injuries and claims.The vessel had a comprehensive Safety Management System which detailed correct procedures to be followed. The SMS included a general Risk Assessment for working aloft and indicated the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be worn. Despite all this the accident still occurred.This particular operation involved working aloft in an area of the vessel not normally associated with such an operation and therefore, required some lateral thinking. A safety culture approach would have been to consider the operation in context and assess the risks involved pertaining to this particular operation.It would have been at this stage that the inadequacies of the general procedure would have been highlighted. Additional precautions could then have been introduced to neutralise potential hazards and the accident ...

Safety Culture