Onboard Safety (2nd Edition)

The purpose of this book is to introduce the fundamental aspects of ship operations that can provide a safe working environment for all on board, from the regulations and guidance that governs and controls safety, to the basic onboard measures that can be used to mitigate risk.

These will include the shipboard safety organisation, inductions and familiarisations for new crew, safe means of access to and on board ship, general housekeeping, risk assessments, permit to work systems and specific hazardous activities such as dry-docking, lifeboat launch and recovery, entry into enclosed spaces and mooring operations.

Onboard safety is a wide ranging and expansive subject that includes aspects of all operations conducted onboard all ship types. From the simplest one man task to the navigation and manoeuvring of the largest ship in the world, safety is central to the modern shipping industry.

Oil tankers, gas carriers, car carriers, bulk carriers, container vessels and specialised offshore support vessels all have particular aspects of their operation that require certain skills, competence and levels of safety awareness from their crews. However, there are a vast number of shipboard operations that are common to all ships, irrespective of their design and purpose, and it is those common aspects of safety that this book highlights.

The majority of these key elements of safety are not new. The shipboard safety organisation has existed for many years and risk assessments have always been a central part of shipboard safety, although in a less formal manner. Formalised risk assessments, more detailed permit to work systems and more intensive induction and familiarisation processes are all now incorporated into shipping company safety management systems, and it is to these standards that the modern seafarer must adhere.

By summarising all of these key elements and by providing, where necessary, case studies of related incidents, it is hoped that this book will act as a comprehensive introduction to shipboard safety for crews, trainees and shoreside personnel.