Assessing Risks and other Safe Systems Of Work
Southampton 6th November 2014
SCOTT WARD
My name is Scott WARD
Working In the marine industry 25 years
8 years deep sea on container vessels, 15 years on
Voith / ASD tugs
Started my sea going career as a deckhand working my
way up to Master
Came ashore in 2012 to further a career in health and
safety, after being part of a local safety committee for
over ten years
Graduate member of IOSH and now working towards
full chartered membership
Would like to ask a question
What is the most important working component on
board your tug ?
Is it the towing winch ?
A tug without a winch is surely just a boat ?
The most important working component on board
your tug ?
Is YOU……….
We are all unique, loved by family and friends
We need to always safeguard ourselves against
dangers.
I do not want to stand here, preaching to You
We all know how important safety is…….
We all have stories we could share
I want to spend this time refreshing, what You
already know.
I want to talk about:
Risk Assessments
Hierarchy of Risk control
Permit to work
Come on You must be getting excited now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jLGkmOVtnI
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment is basically looking at the job
before you start. Identifying all the hazards and who
is at risk and by how much. Then putting actions in
place to safeguard everyone.
We all do this throughout the day…….
When we cross the road
When we get in the car
When we tell our partner we are going to the pub
and unsure when we will return (high risk)
Key words in risk assessment are :
A HAZARD is something that has the potential to
cause harm.
RISK is the chance, high or low, that somebody could
be harmed by these and other hazards, together with
the severity outcome.
ALARP - As low as reasonably practicable; means
weighing a risk against the trouble, time and money
needed to control it to an acceptable level.
RISK RATING this is the combination of Liklihood
multiplied By actual severity
CONTROL MEASURE is what we put in place to reduce
the risks to an acceptable level.
Once you have identified hazards, you need to put
control measures in place to reduce these to an
acceptable level
Risk assessments need to carried out by law, all
formal written risk assessments need to be
reviewed
Everyone should be involved when carrying out the
risk assessments, (safety committee members)
A fresh pair / unexperienced eyes can see the tasks
completely different and should be respected………
For example during a towing job hazards could be:
(These are all high risk hazards with a high potential)
Speed - assisted vessel proceeding at a unsafe high
speed when making fast
Interaction – assisted vessel propeller wash may draw
tug under the stern quarter
Restricted visibility - dense fog, tug cannot visually
see assisted vessel or direction of their towing gear
Dangerous heaving line – when making fast, container
twist locks used instead of monkeys fists
Loss of water tight integrity – door left open on the
main deck.
Complacency - repeated operations over a long period
of time, reducing risk perception during critical
manoeuvres
Unfamiliarised Tug Crew - not fully aware of the tugs
limits and capabilities
Collision – between tug and other vessels operating in
the area
Control measures in place to reduce risks
Speed - safe speed agreed between the Pilot/ Master
before towage operation
Interaction – good communications maintained
throughout the operations, warnings of all controlled
engine movements
Restricted visibility – clear operating limits defined in
Company procedures
Dangerous heaving line – Tug crew stand clear of
working area, better education still required for ships
crews to further reduce
Open water tight door – use of open door alarm /
indicating systems on board
Complacency - keeping focused, sharing of ideas at
industry forums.
Unfamiliarised Tug Crew – correct training / appraisal
forms carried out to overcome this
Collision – competent professionally trained Masters /
crews operating on our tugs.
RA Template - pilot.xlsm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeB7l_O8T6o
Hierarchy of controlling risks
Hierarchy of risk control
Elimination - physically remove it, this is the most
effective hazard control. For example:
An AB must climb on to the monkey island to
replace a navigation bulb; move the navigation light
to the bridge deck, eliminating the need to climb.
Substitution - second most effective hazard control,
involves replacing something that produces a hazard
(similar to elimination) with something that does not
produce a hazard. For example:
Companies stopped Manufacturing lead based
paints and started producing acrylic based paints
Engineered controls - third most effective means of
controlling hazards is engineered controls. These do
not eliminate hazards, but rather isolate people from
hazards. For Example:
Building a scaffolding platform around a radar during
repair. Better hazard control than working aloft with
a safety harness
Administrative controls - Do not remove hazards, but
limit or prevent people's exposure to the hazards.
For Example:
Completing road construction at night when fewer
people are driving , employee training, and
installation of signs and warning labels
Hierarchy of risk control
Personal protective equipment - is the least effective
means of controlling hazards because of the high
potential for damage to render PPE ineffective.
For Example:
Wearing a safety helmet and high visibility jacket
when moving around in port areas
What is a Permit to Work
“A permit to work system is a formal safety control
system designed to help prevent accidental injury to
personnel, damage to plant, premises and product.
A Permit to work is a Systematic formal checklist
It helps reduces human errors (missing something)
Would like to share a story with you all….
Examples of where a permit is required
• Work in Unmanned Machinery Spaces
• Entry into Enclosed or Confined Space
• Machinery or Equipment
• Hot Work
• Working Aloft/ Overside
• General Electrical (Under 1000 Volts)
• Electrical High Voltage (Over 1000 Volts)
Permit should be relevant and as accurate as
possible, stating the location and details of the work
Permit should specify the time period (not
exceeding 24 hours)
Only the work specified on the permit should be
undertaken.
Authorising officer retains responsible for the work
until he has, either cancelled the permit or formally
transferred it to another authorised person
Person responsible for carrying out the specified
work should counter sign the permit to indicate his
understanding of the safety precautions to be
observed.
On completion of the work, the responsible officer
needs to close out the work permit
Person carrying out the specified work should not be
the same, person as the authorising officer.
Guidance can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/mari
time-and-coastguard-agency
http://www.hse.gov.uk/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/codeof-safe-working-practices-for-merchant-seamencoswp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO01FcuWtxs
Thank You For your time
Any Questions?
Scott.ward@svitzer.com
Tel 07776494963