Documentation

1. The company should establish and maintain procedures for the control of all documentation relevant to the SMS. This should include;
1. valid documents are available at all relevant locations
2. changes to documents are reviewed and approved to authorised personnel
3. obsolete documents are promptly removed
2. All documents, carried in a company approved relevant form, should be present on board

The master is expected to be fully conversant with Company safety management system. Officers and crew would be expected to be familiar with the parts of the system relevant to their safety responsibilities as well as a thorough understanding of their operational responsibilities- auditors will ensure compliance.

• Examples of the type of documentation the auditor will wish to see to verify compliance with the ISM are as follows;
• Log books
• Safety and management meeting minutes and follow up actions
• Medical log
• Company circular letters
• Planned maintenance records
• Records of verification
• Records of masters review of the system
• Records of internal audits and follow up
• Records of chart corrections
• Class quarterly listings
• Records of passage planning
• Oil record books
• Garbage logs
• Company manual and forms

Marine Safety Management - What is ISM Code?

Written by: Raunekk • Edited by: KennethSleight
Updated May 31, 2011

There are so many regulations that govern the shipping industry that sometimes it becomes tough for a ship to organize and follow all of them. With a need to improve the organizational structure of the regulations body ISM code was established.

Most of the shipping regulations deal with safety of life at sea and marine pollution. ISM (International Safety Management) code is formed with an aim to organize all the regulations that deal with the technical aspects of the ship, traning of ship personnel and marine pollution. This is done to make the shipping process more streamlined. ISM forms a framework that enumerates all the regulations that the shipping companies are required to follow. Thus it emphasis on the aspect of Shipping managment. But this doesn't mean that ISM tells the companies how to do business or the ways to follow the laws. It is upto the companies to decide how they will go about following the codes.

By doing this ISM ensures safety at sea, prevention of loss of human life and preservation of marine environment.

What does it do?

Now, it is a fact that 80% of all the accidents are the result of human errors. Thus ISMs main concern is safety which it tries to achieve by minimizing human errors. So what are the main things the management system of ISM comprises of? It enhances the working of safety management system by doing three main things:

· Organizing activities on board a ship

· Organizing the shore activities when the ship reaches a port.

· Increasing effective communication between ship and the shore.

What are its objectives?

The ISM objectives are as follows:

· To ensure that all the regulations, both national and international, such as SOLAS, MARPOL, Union and Labor laws are followed.

· Creating awareness to carry out safe procedures and efficient working practices on ship and on shore.

· Making and implementing safe procedures to tackle emergency situations.

· Ensuring technical planned maintenance is carried out on schedule and in an efficient way. Ensuring safety at sea and prevention of marine pollution. Conducting training of Ship's Personnel. All these elements have a business approach which are relevant to safety and environment.

How does it work?

All the shipping companies that come under ISM code should possess a DOC (Document of Compliance). Acquiring this certificate means that the ship is approved by the ISM and the company must abide by the rules of ISM-code. Out of all the codes, the code to develop and execute a Safety Management System (SMS) is the most important one.

DOC can be issued to a company only after the ship has been approved by a Classification Bureau. The certificate is valid for 5 years, but can be terminated in between if the results of the annual surveys by the classification society are not satisfactory.

A Safety Management Cetificate (SMC) is also provided to a ship only if the ship already has a DOC. SMC is also valid for 5 years with 2-3 inspections in between.