Step 3 of 3•5 minutes read
Reporting in the SMS
The SMS is not just a 'loadstar' for operating the vessel; it is also of great importance that faulty occurrences are reported within the SMS. Whenever an accident occurs, performing a thorough root cause analysis (RCA) usually reveals how that kind of accident can be avoided in the future.
Employee reporting in Safety Management System (SMS). Photo: Jörgen Språng.
In a strong safety culture, accidents — and more importantly, near-accidents — are reported without fear of embarrassment or negative reactions. Once reported, accidents are analysed and improvements are made. The following must be reported:
Audits
The safety management system (SMS) must be audited at regular intervals. It can be either an internal or external audit. The external audit is done by the flag state authority or classification society. An internal audit can be performed by someone from the company that is not working onboard the vessel. The purpose of the audits, together with the management and master review, is to ensure that the procedures in the safety management system (SMS), are followed.