Culture is defined as a set of beliefs, values, customs and behaviors that members of a group use to relate to their world and each other. Simply put, it’s the way we do things around here. Safety culture is of interest to all senior decision makers in within your company, not only those with direct involvement in the day to day technical operation of their companies’ vessels, because improving safety saves money as well as lives. In addition to ethical and social responsibilities, companies practice a safety culture because: Senior managers that cannot manage safety will be unlikely to manage a profitable company.

A dedicated approach to safety is a cost saving not a cost. Safety culture provides a means of maximizing the benefits and cost savings that can be derived from implementing a Safety Management System (SMS). How can a safety culture save you money? The following benefits have been derived by Maritime companies from the conscious attempt to practice a safety culture: Reduction in lost employee hours Reduction in hospital costs Reduction in sick leave Reduction in pollution costs Reduction in insurance premiums Reduction in equipment damage How many “Lost Time Accidents” did the company’s crew members have last year and was this better or worse than the year before? What proportion of the company’s personal accidents were caused by a simple failure to follow established procedures, i.e. were totally avoidable and should never be repeated? How does the accident record of the company compare with that of its competitors? Is the company capable of finding out? What proportion of last year’s costs resulting from accidents was not repaid by insurance and were in fact covered by the company directly?

If operations managers appear unable to answer any of these questions satisfactorily, it is possible that the company may be losing money unnecessarily and that there is more that might be done to encourage the practice of a safety culture. If a company successfully implements a SMS this should encourage positive changes of behavior with regard to safety management. Indeed, the proper implementation of the SMS should result in a safety culture. But there can be a difference between complying with the National regulator or ISM code to the letter and fulfilling its spirit, i.e. the conscious practice of an attitude to safety in which all accidents are seen as preventable, and everything reasonably possible is done to ensure that accidents are actually prevented. The achievement of a total safety culture goes beyond compliance with the National regulators and the ISM Code.

The public focus of the ISM Code and National regulators that impose Safety Management Systems has been on the need for companies to comply with it within specified deadlines, and to be issued with Certificates. However, the underlying purpose of the SMS is to move the Maritime Industry away from a culture of “unthinking” compliance with external rules towards a culture of “thinking” self regulation of safety.

Following the spirit of the Safety Management System, involves, not least, a commitment to continuous improvement of the company’s safety record. However, safety culture involves moving beyond compliance with external rules to a culture of self regulation, with every individual – from the top to the bottom – feeling responsible for actions taken to improve safety, rather than seeing them as being imposed from the outside. Introducing radical improvements to a company’s safety culture cannot be achieved overnight, but the first stage, and the key to success, is commitment from the most senior level of management including managing directors, finance directors and everyone else at boardroom level.

For the smaller operators, it may be the vessel owner or the Captain. The full benefits of a commitment to implement a total safety culture may take four or five years to materialize, but experience has shown that real results can be achieved within as little as one or two years.

A starting point is making sure that employees fully understand why they are following the procedures required by adherence to the safety management system. They need to understand that the purpose is not simply to satisfy auditors but to bring about actual improvements in safety. Even without an assessment, there are things you can do immediately to begin making a positive impact on your safety culture. Listed below are a few ideas to help get you started. Identify gaps between current behaviors and desired behaviors. Understand the beliefs and assumptions that are driving the behaviors; however, focus on changing behaviors. Pick a critical few behaviors that exemplify the best of your safety culture, and ask everyone to adopt those behaviors. Make the change sustainable by maintaining vigilance on the few critical elements that you have established as important. Promote everyone’s involvement in the SMS.

A safety culture is something that is strived for but rarely attained – the process is more important than the product. Maintaining a strong safety culture is an ongoing process. And that’s exactly what an SMS does for your company, it supports an ongoing process for continuous improvement. Use your SMS to proactively develop your safety culture.

Stop thinking of your SMS in terms of manuals, reports, processes, audits, etc. and begin to think about it as your culture…The way we do things around here.

Ocean Time Marine can help you minimize hazards aboard your vessel and ensure you stay up to date with regulatory compliance, vessel procedures, and emergency operations, with their safety management templates.