The American Club has recently published a helpful new guide which focuses on Safety Management Systems. The aim is to assist both seafarers and shoreside personnel in understanding the basic principles of how to implement local and international safety management systems.
The booklet is the fourth in a series of coming guides produced by The American Club, which deal with matters of safety, protection of the marine environment and maritime security.
A safety management system – or SMS – is a proven and essential tool for achieving loss prevention success for both international shipping under the International Safety Management (ISM) Code and U.S. inland waterway operators and on non-compulsory vessels under the U.S. Code of Federal Regulation Subchapter M, towing vessels safety management system option for compliance.
The new guide is expected to assist operators with safety management system training on-board and to be utilized as a refresher tool for seafarers and shore based staff anticipating an ISM Code or Subchapter M audit.
The Club highlights that by using the ISM Code as the framework, a SMS is developed incorporating company safety policies and procedures. The SMS must be kept onboard in an accessible format. The SMS ensures that crewmembers are receiving regular training through drills and exercises and can respond effectively to a fire, abandon ship, man overboard or other potential shipboard emergencies.
The 24 page publication by The American Club can be downloaded here: American-Club-Safety-Management-Systems-2018_08
