safety outcomes and is a leading indicator of accidents and injuries. It is important to note that having a safety procedure does not create a safety culture.


Seafarers carry out tasks in a cross- cultural working environment. To establish a positive safety culture, operators need to recognise cultural biases that may arise due to the different cultures of the seafarers and shore-based staff as doing so will ensure they can effectively address these differences or barriers.


Safety culture cannot be established without clear leadership and a prioritisation of safety. Effective leaders communicate clearly on safety standards and hazard identification and motivate the shipboard team to make safety a priority.


Communication and consultation


When a risk has been identified, it needs to be controlled. Both the identification and implementation of risk controls are likely to be more effective when different perceptions are recognised and taken into consideration. It is important that the seafarers on board are consulted and that their views together with other knowledge of risk are taken into account in the risk management process.


People’s individual perceptions may influence:


- willingness to consider new information


- confidence or trust in such information


- the relative importance given to information.


Effective communication and consultation will ensure everyone involved understands the basis on which decisions are made and the reasons why particular actions are requested.


Commitment to safety


The success of a safety culture depends on cooperation and commitment from all involved and this commitment to safety must come from the top.


Leaders can start by ensuring tasks are adequately supervised, training is provided, workload and fatigue are managed effectively, and policies clearly prioritise safety above time pressures. Seafarers can contribute by following procedures, always using safety equipment, reporting defects, not taking undue risks because it takes less effort and remembering that even work that is done frequently can be dangerous.


This in effect leads to all parties being committed, not just because of rules and regulations but through individual choice, to safe actions and behaviours at all times, both during work and recreational activities on board.


Key Messages


- Poor practices and shortcuts repeated over time gradually become the norm.


- An effective safety culture promotes the understanding to all seafarers that the goals of the company will be achieved through accepted safety procedures, practices and behaviours.


- The identification of risks and the implementation of risk controls are most likely to be successful when people’s perceptions are recognised and taken into consideration.


- Effective communication and consultation with everyone involved in task and work can improve the risk management process.


THE REPORT | DEC 2023 | ISSUE 106 | 31


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