11 Elements of a Successful

HSE Management System

 

1. A Way to Control and Distribute Up-To-Date

Documents
Whether you use Google Drive, another cloud platform, or good old-
fashioned paper, every HSE system needs a way to distribute up-to-
date documents to the right people. Creating protocols in this area
helps ensure that employees always have access to current and
correct safety information.

2. Safety Inspection Checklists

Creating safety inspection checklists serves many purposes—they
establish a baseline for the quality of inspections no matter who is
performing them, can decrease the amount of time it takes to perform
inspections, and provide data on areas of safety that are improving or
declining over time.

3. Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are a necessary function of a successful OHSMS to
help you protect employees from potential harm, and your business
from potential fines and lawsuits. After identifying potential hazards to
your workers, you can determine areas of safety non-compliance and
devise and implement solutions. Including this in your HSE systems,
and regularly updating your distributed documents for known or
potential risk hazards, can greatly reduce injuries and risk.
4. Emergency Response Plan
Although we hope you never have to use an emergency response plan,
it’s always better to have one in place than to scramble during an
emergency. OSHA requires emergency response plans to include how
to report an emergency, evacuation procedures and assembly points,
procedures to shut down project operations, rescue and medical
duties for any workers assigned to perform them, and contact
information for individuals with more information.
Additionally, emergency response plans can contain information on
local hospitals and medical services, and medical evacuation
procedures.
Learn more about what to include in a Medical Emergency Response
Plan.

5. Training Program and Documentation

System
Employee safety training programs can include fire, tornado, and
earthquake drills, accident simulations, first aid, and even health and
wellness programs. These basic safety training protocols can save
lives in the event of an emergency, and prevent further safety hazards.
Other types of training include correct use of PPEs, forklift safety, and
hazardous waste management.
While OSHA does not require documentation of all types of training,
it’s a best practice to keep documentation—these notes can be useful
when planning future trainings.
Learn more about our Health Promotion Programs.

6. Internal Audit Policy and Schedule

Health and safety audits are another great way to ensure compliance
with safety laws, as well as identify strengths and weaknesses in your
HSE management system. Either an internal or external auditor can
perform the audit, and no matter which route you choose, audits
should be performed on a regular basis. Documentation from audits
can be used to compare improvements and issues from year-to-year,
identify trends, pinpoint risk, and create new safety initiatives based
on audit data.

7. List of Laws and Health and Safety

Regulations for Compliance
OSHA requires many employers to display their Job Safety and Health
poster in a conspicuous area where employees can see it. This poster
informs workers of their rights under the Occupational Safety and
Health Act. Although not required, it can be helpful to display
additional health and safety law and regulation information in the
same space to encourage employee awareness and compliance.
This could also serve as a great place to display helpful health and
safety information, and potential known hazards and risks of the job.

8. Experienced HSE Team

An all-star health and safety team is key to ensure that your QHSMS is
being properly implemented in the workplace on a day-to-day basis.
HSE professionals focus on preventing accidents and injuries,
implementing proper guidelines and regulations, and ensuring
compliance.
By performing regular risk assessments, evaluating worksites, training
employees, and pinpointing any potential hazards, HSE personnel are
paramount for ensuring your worksites are safe and compliant.
There are many HSE certifications available spanning different
industries, allowing you to hire HSE personnel that understand the ins
and outs of your company’s safety concerns. Some of the
fundamental HSE certifications available include:
 NSC Advanced Health and Safety certification
 NEBOSH International General Certificate (IGC)
 NEBOSH National Certificate
 NEBOSH Construction Certificate
 NEBOSH Oil and Gas Certificate
 IOSH Managing safely Certificate
 OHSAS 18001/ISO 45001 Occupational Health and safety lead
auditors Certification.
 Certified Safety Practitioner (CSP) Certificate.
 Certified Safety and Health Manager (CSHM) Certificate, etc.
There are also supplementary HSE certifications that health and
safety professionals can obtain to specialize for your industry and
needs including ladder safety, asbestos awareness, PPE certificates,
first aid, fire safety, electrical safety, and more.
Although health and safety is a growing field, it can still be difficult to
find the right professionals for your OHSMS, especially if you need to
hire them quickly. With over 10 years of experience providing
occupational medical providers for industrial projects, and over six
years staffing safety professionals, we can help you create your safety
dream team.

9. Measurable PERFORMANCE METRICS

Every business relies on performance metrics to improve their bottom
line, and HSE departments are no exception. These metrics help
identify areas that need improvement, as well as trends over time. Key
performance indicators for health, safety, and environment include:
 Lost Time Rate (LTR)
 Total Accident Rate (TAR)
 Accident Severity Rate (ASR)
 Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR)
 Experience Modification Rate (EMR)
 Working Days Since Last Incident
10. Regular Meetings and Communications
Strategy
Creating a consistent meeting schedule for health, safety, and
environment staff is key for reviewing current HSE strategies and
successfully implementing new initiatives for your OHSMS.
Additionally, putting a clear communication plan in place fosters
collaboration and reduces confusion during emergencies.
Schedule HSE staff meetings on a weekly or biweekly basis, and make
sure to assign a meeting leader and prepare an agenda to ensure
efficient and effective meetings.
Creating a contact sheet for all HSE personnel, a group in email or
your internal communications tool, as well as an easily accessible
work schedule, encourages transparent communication among the
team.

11. Regular Management Review

Every HSE management system needs to be reviewed to verify that
current goals are being met and new initiatives are being put in place
and practiced regularly. Review of your management system and team
by senior leadership should be conducted on a regular basis.
This keeps staff and the system accountable, and presents the
opportunity for discussion between safety personnel and upper
management to find areas of improvement and brainstorm new ideas.
The purpose of an occupational health and safety management
system is two-fold. First, we all seek to prevent illness and injury, and
this requires some degree of systematization and integration of
general management practices with health and safety.
Second, when illness or injury occurs, you need a well-established and
rehearsed plan to ensure that the response is appropriate and orderly.
This will enable you to effectively control injuries and illnesses,
reducing the risk for unnecessary recordables and potential lawsuits.
You should support these systems because you care deeply about
those you are responsible for, but there is also a clear business factor
at play: poor management of health and safety directly affects the
bottom line in any organization.
From the cost of rescue to a drop in employee morale,
mismanagement of health and safety is very expensive.
We encourage you to use the checklist above by gathering your team
and reviewing whether each of these steps has been implemented. If
not, create a plan to put them in place.
If you would like to learn more about how our occupational health and
safety staffing services can help you achieve your OHSMS goals,
please contact us today.
An SMS is divided into sections for easy reference. They are:

 General
 Safety and environmental policy
 Designated person (DP)
 Resources and personnel
 Master’s responsibilities and authority
 Company’s responsibility and authority
 Operational procedures
 Emergency procedures
 Reporting of accidents
 Maintenance and records
 Documentation
 Review and evaluation

Every safety management policy should satisfy some of the basic functional
requirements to ensure the safety of every ship. They are:

 Procedure and guidelines to act in an emergency situation

 Safety and environmental protection policy
 Procedure and guidelines for reporting accidents or any other form of non-
conformities
 Clear information on the level of authority and lines of communication among ship
crew members, and between shore and shipboard personnel
 Procedures and guidelines to ensure safe operations of ships and protection of
the marine environment in compliance with relevant international and flag
state legislations
 Procedures for internal audits and management reviews
  Vessel details

Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) 

Safety regulations for different types of

ships
 Home
 Our Work
 Safety
 Safety regulations for different types of ships

While there are no universally applicable definitions of ship types,

specific descriptions and names are used within IMO treaties and
conventions. The following is a non-exhaustive list ship types defined
in various IMO instruments:

 A passenger ship is a ship which carries more than twelve

passengers. (SOLAS I/2)

 A fishing vessel is a vessel used for catching fish, whales, seals,

walrus or other living resources of the sea. (SOLAS I/2)

 Fishing vessel means any vessel used commercially for catching

fish, whales, seals, walrus or other living resources of the sea. (SFV
1993 article 2)

 A nuclear ship is a ship provided with a nuclear power plant. (SOLAS

I/2)

 Bulk carrier means a ship which is constructed generally with single

deck, top-side tanks and hopper side tanks in cargo spaces, and is
 intended primarily to carry dry cargo in bulk, and includes such types
as ore carriers and combination carriers. (SOLAS IX/1.6)

 Bulk carrier means a ship which is intended primarily to carry dry

cargo in bulk, including such types as ore carriers and combination
carriers. (SOLAS XII/1.1)

 Oil tanker means a ship constructed or adapted primarily to carry oil

in bulk in its cargo spaces and includes combination carriers, any
"NLS tanker" as defined in Annex II of the present Convention and any
gas carrier as defined in regulation 3.20 of chapter II-1 of SOLAS 74
(as amended), when carrying a cargo or part cargo of oil in bulk.
(MARPOL Annex I reg. 1.5)

 General cargo ship: A ship with a multi-deck or single-deck hull

designed primarily for the carriage of general cargo.
(MEPC.1/Circ.681 Annex)

 High-speed craft is a craft capable of travelling at high

speed. (SOLAS X/1.2, HSC Code 2000 para 1.4.30)

 Mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) means a vessel capable of

engaging in drilling operations for the exploration for or exploitation of
resources beneath the sea-bed such as liquid or gaseous
hydrocarbons, sulphur or salt. (SOLAS IX/1, MODU Code 2009 para
1.3.40)

 Special purpose ship (SPS) means a mechanically self-propelled

ship which by reason of its function carries on board more than 12
special personnel. (SPS Code para 1.3.12)
History of MARPOL

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from

Ships (MARPOL) is the main international convention covering
prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from
operational or accidental causes.

MARPOL (imo.org)

History of SOLAS

The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded

as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety
of merchant ships. The first version was adopted in 1914, in response
to the Titanic disaster, the second in 1929, the third in 1948, and the
fourth in 1960

SOLAS (imo.org)

SOLAS 1974 requires flag states to ensure that ships flagged by them comply with the minimum
safety standards in the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships. The treaty includes
articles setting out general obligations, etc., followed by an annexe divided into twelve chapters, two
new chapters were added in 2016 and 2017.[2] Of these, chapter five (often called 'SOLAS V') is the
only one that applies to all vessels on the sea, including private yachts and small craft on local trips
as well as to commercial vessels on international passages. Many countries have turned these
international requirements into national laws so that anybody on the sea who is in breach of
SOLAS[6] V requirements may find themselves subject to legal proceedings.
SOLAS Convention - Wikipedia

Chapter I – General Provisions

Surveying the various types of ships and certifying that they meet the requirements of the
convention.[2]
Chapter II-1 – Construction – Subdivision and stability, machinery and electrical
installations
The subdivision of passenger ships into watertight compartments so that after damage to its
hull, a vessel will remain afloat and stable. [2]
Chapter II-2 – Fire protection, fire detection and fire extinction
Fire safety provisions for all ships with detailed measures for passenger ships, cargo ships
and tanker.[2]
Chapter III – Life-saving appliances and arrangements
Life-saving appliances and arrangements, including requirements for life boats, rescue boats
and life jackets according to type of ship.[2] The specific technical requirements are given in
the International Life-Saving Appliance (LSA) Code. [2]
Chapter IV – Radiocommunications
The Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) requires passenger and cargo ships
on international voyages to carry radio equipment, including satellite Emergency Position
Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) and Search and Rescue Transponders (SARTs).[2]
Chapter V – Safety of navigation
This chapter requires governments to ensure that all vessels are sufficiently and efficiently
manned from a safety point of view. It places requirements on all vessels regarding voyage
and passage planning, expecting a careful assessment of any proposed voyages by all who
put to sea. Every mariner must take account of all potential dangers to navigation, weather
forecasts, tidal predictions, the competence of the crew, and all other relevant factors. [7] It
also adds an obligation for all vessels' masters to offer assistance to those in distress and
controls the use of lifesaving signals with specific requirements regarding danger and
distress messages. It is different from the other chapters, which apply to certain classes of
commercial shipping, in that these requirements apply to all vessels and their crews,
including yachts and private craft, on all voyages and trips including local ones. [2]
Chapter VI – Carriage of Cargoes
Requirements for the stowage and securing of all types of cargo and cargo containers
except liquids and gases in bulk.[2]
Chapter VII – Carriage of dangerous goods
Requires the carriage of all kinds of dangerous goods to be in compliance with the
International Bulk Chemical Code (IBC Code), [8] The International Code of the Construction
and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code) and the International
Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code).[2]
Chapter VIII – Nuclear ships
Nuclear powered ships are required, particularly concerning radiation hazards, to conform to
the Code of Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships.[2]
Chapter IX – Management for the Safe Operation of Ships
Requires every shipowner and any person or company that has assumed responsibility for a
ship to comply with the International Safety Management Code (ISM).[2]
Chapter X – Safety measures for high-speed craft
Makes mandatory the International Code of Safety for High-speed craft (HSC Code).
Chapter XI-1 – Special measures to enhance
maritime Safety
Requirements relating to organizations responsible for carrying out surveys and inspections,
enhanced surveys, the ship identification number scheme, and operational requirements.
Chapter XI-2 – Special measures to enhance
maritime security
Includes the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code). Confirms that
the role of the Master in maintaining the security of the ship is not, and cannot be,
constrained by the Company, the charterer or any other person. Port facilities must carry out
 security assessments and develop, implement and review port facility security plans.
Controls the delay, detention, restriction, or expulsion of a ship from a port. Requires that
ships must have a ship security alert system, as well as detailing other measures and
requirements.[2]
Chapter XII – Additional safety measures
for bulk carriers
Specific structural requirements for bulk carriers over 150 metres in length. [2]
Chapter XIII - Verification of compliance
Makes mandatory from 1 January 2016 the IMO Member State Audit Scheme.
Chapter XIV - Safety measures for
ships operating in polar waters
The chapter makes mandatory, from 1 January 2017, the Introduction and part I-A of the
International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (the Polar Code).

7 principles of QMS:
 Customer Focus.
 Leadership.
 Engagement of people.
 Process Approach.
 Improvement. Evidence-based decision making.
 Relationship Management. Customer Focus:The primary focus of QMS is to meet
customer requirements (Needs and Expectations). ...