Safety culture can save lives at sea MJ Sitepu and S Wirasantosa  ;   The writers are members of the Non-Convention Vessel Standard Team (NCVS).

JAKARTA POST, 05 September 2014

                                                                                                                       

                                                      

A recent spate of deadly maritime accidents in Indonesian and foreign waters has been a wake-up call to us all. In the space of a single week in July, more than 50 lives were lost in Indonesian waters. Such numbers are unacceptably high. There is an urgent need to develop a culture of safety in the country’s maritime sector. This can be done through the existing protocols, including the Non-Convention Vessel Standard (NCVS), which was launched in 2012 and could apply to all Indonesian-flagged ships, with the aim of improving the safety, security and efficiency of marine operations. Almost every week there seems to be news of another shipping disaster. Boatloads of Indonesian migrant workers going down in the Malacca Strait, the sinking of a ferry of schoolchildren in South Korean waters and many similar accidents. What went wrong with all of those vessels? All too often, the culprit was human and technical error. The safety of any vessel depends on several factors, including natural phenomenon such as waves and wind, as well as technical and human competence. Human error includes poor maintenance, overloading vessels and not having sufficient or well-functioning safety equipment, such as life jackets, inflatable life-rafts, fire extinguishers and emergency flares. The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee’s 2013 report found that the country’s maritime safety was 45 percent dependent upon human and technical factors. Yet the safety of any vessel is always dependent on its crew’s competence, ability and capability. It is vital, therefore, to enhance the safety of the marine transportation system, not only through compliance with a regulatory framework, but also through the adoption of a strong safety culture. What exactly is a safety culture? It refers to awareness and policies for managing safety in any workplace. A standard definition is that it reflects the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and values that employees share in relation to safety. In companies and organizations, senior management should develop safety policies supported by human and financial resources. In terms of marine transportation, companies that make safety an overriding priority are considered to have a culture of safety. Higher safety standards can be achieved through collective or individual awareness of risks. Ultimately, safety should be viewed as “the way we do business here”. Most small boats and fishing vessels in Indonesia do not implement the international conventions. This means that when any crew member of a ship notices a problem, he or she should immediately take responsive action, rather than consider it someone else’s responsibility. It also means that when port inspectors examine vessels, they have to make sure there are no violations, and they must never allow themselves to be persuaded to turn a blind eye to any problems. They must take pride in ensuring the safety of Indonesian shipping. The term “safety culture” was coined after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. Although the term is relatively new to the marine sector, efforts to create a uniform maritime safety policy have been taking place since 1914 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), which was initiated in response to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and which resulted in policy provisions. SOLAS provisions, which have been ratified by many countries, including Indonesia, are regularly updated, renewed and amended to respond to the latest developments and the newest technologies in maritime transportation. Efforts to improve maritime safety can also be found in other international conventions, such as the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) and the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. In 2003, The International Maritime Organization defined safety culture as any informed endeavor to reduce risks to individuals, ships or the marine environment to a level considered “as low as is reasonably practicable”. The ISM Code regulates safety management in relation to onshore management responsibility for the safety of ships. The ISM Code requires operating companies to establish a safety-management policy and strategy at every level of the organization, both at onshore offices and aboard vessels. Initiative has emerged from high-level management and owners to develop, implement and support safety policy by demonstrating strong internal commitment. Safety culture does not replace regulations but strengthens their implementation through the active participation of management and staff. Observations in the field indicate that ships seem to meet safety regulations, yet closer scrutiny reveals there are sometimes gaps, because rules are followed only cosmetically. For example, a ship may have the required number of inflatable life-rafts, but lacks a correctly installed mechanism for the release of the rafts. In other cases, fire extinguishers may be present, yet they may not have been tested or refilled. Such cases show that cosmetic compliance with regulations alone is insufficient. Compliance needs to be supported by a spirit of learning, based on a commitment to reducing risks and prioritizing safety. A safety culture is a complex effort to assimilate and prioritize all safety aspects into corporate culture. A safety culture also needs to be developed and implemented among individually owned small boats and fishing boats. A 2007 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization on the safety of fishing vessels and fishermen, found that human error was not always solely a result of the actions of fishermen, but could be caused by poor design leading to excessive vibration, heat and noise levels. Other human error factors included poor ergonomic design; inappropriate equipment; inappropriate working practices; lack of maintenance; fatigue and weak manning levels, inadequate training and preventive measures; and a lack of awareness. However, most small boats and fishing vessels in Indonesia do not implement the international conventions mentioned above. Therefore, the Indonesian NCVS could be implemented as an alternative reference to meet safety requirements. The NCVS is not limited to small vessels but is also an alternative for domestic-bound vessels, which have the option of complying with conventional regulations or the NCVS. In terms of ship size, the NCVS can be implemented by all domestic-bound vessels, regardless of their size. Ultimately, whether it is a cargo ship, a passenger ferry or a fishing boat, every vessel in Indonesia should be owned and crewed by persons with awareness, ability and commitment to upholding the highest possible safety standards. Only then will our waters become safer and the needless death toll be reduced. ●