Formal Safety Assessment

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One way of ensuring that action is taken before a disaster occurs is the use a
process known as formal safety assessment.

This has been described as "a rational and systematic process for assessing
the risks associated with shipping activity and for evaluating the costs and
benefits of IMO's options for reducing these risks."

It can be used as a tool to help evaluate new regulations or to compare

proposed changes with existing standards. It enables a balance to be drawn
between the various technical and operational issues, including the human
element and between safety and costs.

FSA - which was originally developed partly at least as a response the Piper

Alpha disaster of 1988, when an offshore platform exploded in the North Sea
and 167 people lost their lives - is now being applied to the IMO rule making
process.

The Guidelines for Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) for use in the IMO rule-
making process were approved in 2002 (MSC/Circ.1023/MEPC/Circ.392). 
The Guidelines have since been amended by
MSC/Circ.1180-MEPC/Circ.474 and MSC-MEPC.2/Circ.5.  The above
Guidelines have now been superseded by MSC-MEPC.2/Circ.12/Rev.2.
The amendments include revisions to section 3 Methodology, including the
addition of a paragraph outlining the need for data on incident reports, near
misses and operational failures to be reviewed objectively and their
reliability, uncertainty and validity to be assessed and reported. The
assumptions made and limitations of these data must also be reported.

The MSC agreed to establish a Correspondence Group to further consider

unresolved issues in particular concerning inconsistent results of different
FSAs on the same subject and clarifications of the technology used for
particular FSAs.

The MSC also agreed on the establishment, when necessary, of an FSA

Group of Experts for the purpose of reviewing an FSA study if the
Committee plans to use the study for making a decision on a particular issue.
A flow-chart for the FSA review process was agreed. The MSC agreed in
principle that the proposed expert group would undertake to review FSA
studies on specific subjects submitted to the Organization, as directed by the
Committee(s) and prepare relevant reports for submission to the
Committee(s). The structure of the group of experts was left open for future
discussion, though the Committee agreed, in principle, that members
participating in the expert group should have risk assessment experience; a
maritime background; and knowledge/training in the application of the FSA
Guidelines.

 
What is FSA?

FSA is a structured and systematic methodology, aimed at enhancing

maritime safety, including protection of life, health, the marine environment
and property, by using risk analysis and cost benefit assessment. FSA can be
used as a tool to help in the evaluation of new regulations for maritime safety
and protection of the marine environment or in making a comparison between
existing and possibly improved regulations, with a view to achieving a
balance between the various technical and operational issues, including the
human element, and between maritime safety or protection of the marine
environment and costs.

FSA consists of five steps:

1. identification of hazards (a list of all relevant accident scenarios with

potential causes and outcomes);

2. assessment of risks (evaluation of risk factors);

3. risk control options (devising regulatory measures to control and reduce

the identified risks);

4. cost benefit assessment (determining cost effectiveness of each risk

control option); and

5. recommendations for decision-making (information about the hazards,

their associated risks and the cost effectiveness of alternative risk control
options is provided).

In simple terms, these steps can be reduced to:

1. What might go wrong? = identification of hazards (a list of all relevant
accident scenarios with potential causes and outcomes)

2. How bad and how likely? = assessment of risks (evaluation of risk

factors);

3. Can matters be improved? = risk control options (devising regulatory

measures to control and reduce the identified risks)

4. What would it cost and how much better would it be? = cost benefit
assessment (determining cost effectiveness of each risk control option);

5. What actions should be taken? = recommendations for decision-making

(information about the hazards, their associated risks and the cost
effectiveness of alternative risk control options is provided).

Application of FSA may be particularly relevant to proposals for regulatory

measures that have far reaching implications in terms of costs to the maritime
industry or the administrative or legislative burdens that may result.

This is achieved by providing a clear justification for proposed regulatory

measures and allowing comparison of different options of such measures to
be made. This is in line with the basic philosophy of FSA in that it can be
used as a tool to facilitate a transparent decision-making process. In addition,
it provides a means of being proactive, enabling potential hazards to be
considered before a serious accident occurs.

FSA represents a fundamental change from what was previously a largely

piecemeal and reactive regulatory approach to one which is proactive,
integrated, and above all based on risk evaluation and management in a
transparent and justifiable manner thereby encouraging greater compliance
with the maritime regulatory framework, in turn leading to improved safety
and environmental protection.

One area where FSA is already being applied is bulk carrier safety. In
December 1998, the Maritime Safety Committee, IMO's senior technical
body, agreed to a framework setting out project objectives, scope and
application, namely:

 to inform IMO's future decision-making regarding measures to improve

the safety of bulk carriers;

 to apply FSA methodology to the safety of dry bulk shipping; and

 to secure international collaboration and agreement.

FSA is highly technical and complex. But it does offer a way forward and a
means of escaping from the dilemma of the past in which action was too
often put off until something went wrong - with the result that the actions
taken often owed more to public opinion and political considerations than
they did to technical merit.

SDGS
As a result, work schedules are carefully planned and extremely tight – any period of downtime,
no matter how small, can cause significant backlogs.

Ports and docks are subject to numerous fire safety risks, from the continued use of onsite
vehicles to the storage of flammable materials. In the following article, we explore how port
operators can mitigate their risks and ensure a safe site for staff and visitors.
IMO E-LEARNING

PARTNERSHIPS AND PROJECTS

What are your responsibilities?
For sustained port operations, ensuring the safety of teams, assets and visitors, while minimising
downtime is essential. Responsibility to achieve this lies with port operators, who have a duty to identify
their site’s risk areas and implement the relevant safety measures to mitigate these. Regular risk
assessments are key.

General health and safety legislation is laid out in both The Health and Safety at Work (HSW) Act (1974)
and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999). The HSE introduced its Approved
Code of Practice (ACOP) ‘Safety in Docks’ in 2014 to help the port industry to comply with the
requirements detailed in the HSW Act and lift the overall safety of the sector.

Although not mandatory, The Department of Transport’s government-endorsed, 2016 Port Marine
Safety Code, outlines a pragmatic approach, helping to ensure higher safety standards across the port
industry.

What are the common safety risks facing ports and docks?

1.Storage

Thousands of lorries pass through ports every day, delivering and collecting a range of different
materials for import and export. These materials can often be stored at port sites for some time before
being collected for online shipping. This can pose significant fire risks and, as such, all materials and
containers must be monitored and managed carefully.

Some key risks associated with material storage at ports include:

Flammable materials

Any containers which are carrying flammable materials – such as fuels or alcohols – should be stored
separately and away from the port’s main, operations area. These should also remain closed at all times
when they are not in use to reduce the risk of any fire spreading.

Loose materials

Loose materials, such as Biomass or wood chippings can bring about significant fire risks, as they can to
self-combust. When these are carried in a ship’s hold, hotspots can begin to form. These hotspots can
become activated once the material is transported from the hold and separated into smaller piles. As a
result, temperatures should be closely monitored on a regular basis.

Hidden risks

Often, shipping containers arriving at ports are sealed and, as a result, materials – and their related risks
– are not always known. It’s essential to monitor the materials within these containers to ensure you are
putting the appropriate measures and controls in place to reduce the risks they pose.

2.Vehicles and machinery

Onsite vehicles

To fulfil the intense schedule of imports and exports, many onsite vehicles will be in continuous
operation. This poses several fire risks, for example the build up of dust in cargoes can cause clogging.
Every vehicle which is kept on site should be subject to regular maintenance and – in line with the Port
Authority’s regulations – should be fitted with suitable fire protection equipment.

Machinery

As much of the equipment and machinery at ports is in constant use, it can be at risk of overheating. As
such, all machinery should be monitored frequently to check temperatures, reduce the build-up of any
dust and ensure its ongoing, safe use.

3.Weather

Due to their locations, ports are susceptible to extreme weather conditions. These can influence how
effective the site’s fire protection is. For example, high, costal winds can result in fires spreading more
quickly. Your fire protection solution should account for the various environmental factors facing your
port to ensure it remains as effective as possible.

A guide to compliance, safety and minimal downtime

1.Develop a site map

Creating and implementing a site map is the essential first step on your route to compliance. This map
should detail all on site buildings, their locations and their operational uses. It should also include details
of all routes in and out of the port, including those intended for emergency vehicles should you require
assistance in an emergency.

In defining buildings’ operational uses, you can start to attribute common safety risks to individual
buildings on your site. For example, you may store all flammable materials in one building to collectively
manage the risks they pose.

This map should be displayed clearly throughout your site.

2.Carry out regular risk assessments

Fire risk assessments will help you to identify exactly how and where your site is most vulnerable to fire.
This can provide you with the information you need to ensure your site remains as safe as possible.

Such assessments should be carried out on a regular basis to monitor evolving risks – such as the
transportation of new products, new onsite machinery or changing site personnel.

3.Get the right protection equipment in place

Every port has individual requirements – your fire detection and suppression solutions should account
for this.

Your solution should be unique to your port’s needs. Your risk assessment can help you to make the
right decision when it comes to selecting the most suitable and effective fire detection and suppression
solution.
4.Train key site personnel

Simply installing the right equipment does not guarantee site safety. For this equipment to be as safe as
possible, it’s crucial you’re embedding the importance of health and safety into your port’s day-to-day
operations.

A key part of this is ensuring all key, responsible members of staff are fully trained about the emergency
equipment available, where it can be found and how it works. This will ensure your emergency
procedures are implemented safely should a fire occur.