In OSM we build a stronger safety and health culture by caring for our people:
- It’s okay to ask for help
- Crew members at all levels will stop work if unsafe
- The crew discuss safety together regularly
- All crew look out for each other
IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE: The most important safeguard
Organizational Culture reflects not only our vision-mission-values-code of conduct statements but also our established rules, regulations and practices that set us apart from others. COVID is paying a great toll on all our seafarer’s mental health, and all ashore work hard to minimize consequences. Safety and health culture must start with looking out for each other.
Safety Culture is often defined as “how we do things when nobody is watching”. Our people are therefore detrimental, but also our procedures play a significant role. Our CEO has initiated a substantial project of aligning shore and sea procedures to improve our safety culture and be more efficient:
as we continue to expand as a company, I believe it is essential that we develop an efficient way of implementing our quality management systems in the entities we acquire.
You will all see the effects of this the coming year!
Although there has been a reduction in the number and severity of marine incidents in the past few decades which can be attributed to improved equipment design, robust safety management systems, improved regulations, identification and implementation of best practices, incidents still continue to occur, some with catastrophic consequences. The industry is now focusing on the role PEOPLE play in attaining the “Zero Incident” Goal.
How do you prevent this on your vessel?
Human error plays a significant role in 80-90% of incidents in the maritime industry. Humans are also the best in avoiding incidents! Same way we don’t let our children play in the traffic, same way we must look out for each other on board, both safety wise, and for each other’s mental health. Make that extra contact if you notice a depressed colleague. That is safety culture.
Most of the time we find that mistakes, actions and decisions are driven by a variety of factors; how we design our work, procedures, equipment and control measures, and how leaders influence the culture in an organization.
Nobody comes to work with intentions of making a mistake or getting hurt. Everybody comes to work to do a good and safe job.
Examples:
- An experienced Chief Officer attempts to rescue a friend in an enclosed space which results in his own fatality
- The AB fails to tell the Bosun his safety has come loose when setting out the gangway, Bosun loses his grip and falls overboard
- “Buddy check” was done poorly before chipping causing eye injury
The success of our company depends on people carrying out their tasks reliably and safely. This means doing tasks in a calm and controlled way and always conduct brief and debrief of your team. Mistakes often result from well-meaning behaviours intended to get the job done.
Implementing a culture in which safety is embodied and understood at all levels of the organization starts with leadership because a leader’s actions directly impact organizational culture. We all have a responsibility in caring for each other heading towards a ZERO incident industry.
Stay safe!