THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SAFETY OFFICER ON THE SHIP

1. SAFETY OFFICERSAFETY OFFICER
Capt A MenonCapt A Menon
Ascent Marine InstituteAscent Marine Institute

2. The Chief Officer is the ship's Safety
Officer. He is responsible to the Master
for ensuring that:
• The maintenance of all safety, fire-
fighting and LSA equipment on board is
carried out.
• The maintenance of all cargo gear is
carried out.
• All accidents and dangerous
occurrences are reported and
investigated and, where appropriate,
preventive action recommended as per
company procedures.

3. He is responsible for ensuring
proper conditions of stability and
stress are adhered to for docking
and undocking.
He must make regular inspections
of all spaces in the ship and monitor
personnel working practices to
ascertain that no safety hazards
exist.

4. • Safety Committee
The Safety Officer is to ensure that
the Safety Committee Meetings are
held onboard not less than the
designated periods. Minutes must
be published and submitted to the
Master for onward transmission to
the Company using the standard
Company form.

5. Safety Officer
It is the duty of the Safety Officer
to use his best endeavours to
ensure that the provisions of the
Code of Safe Working Practices for
Merchant Seamen and the
company's policy are complied with
and to improve the standard of
safety consciousness amongst the
crew.

6. The Safety Officer is responsible for
maintaining on board a safe
working environment, investigating
all accidents & near misses,
potential hazards to safety and
health, submitting
recommendations at the safety
meeting, ensuring compliance with
regulations and the code of safe
working practices and carrying out
periodic inspections on deck and in
the e/room to establish that safe
working practices are complied

7. Safety records -- The safety file
The Safety Officer will be responsible for
the maintenance of the vessel safety
file, which will be a loose leaf format file
to suit company requirements and will
contain:
Part I Safety circulars
Part II Vessel safety inspections
Part III Safety committee meeting
minutes
Part IV Accident reports and copies of
accident report forms

8. Part V Checklist for weekly safety
round and notation of dates when
completed
Part VI Misc safety matters
Part VII Near miss reports
Part VIII Risk Assessment Records
The Safety file must be maintained
and filed for easy access by the
safety officer and relevant extracts
promulgated onboard.

9. Shipboard Meetings
Various meetings are to be
conducted for ship’s business safely
and professionally in a planned and
structured manner.
Shipboard meetings are of two
types namely Safety and
Environment Management
Protection Committee and
Management Meetings as below.

10. Safety and Environmental
Protection Committee
Every vessel is required to form the
Safety and Environment Protection
Committee headed by the Master
and consisting of a representative
from deck and engine department
and whenever possible from the
catering department.

11. Composition & Responsibilities
The Master is responsible for
conducting Safety meetings
He is to ensure that the meetings
are conducted as per the company’s
agenda and that the minutes of the
meeting are forwarded to the office
on a regular basis.

12. The Chief Officer/ Safety Officer,
Chief Engineer, 2nd Engineer and
one each elected Representative
member of the officers & crew are
also considered to be part of Safety
Committee on board the ship.
Safety representatives must be
elected, one by the officers and one
by the crew. The crew may elect
more than one representative if
there are sufficient crew.

13. Changes to Safety Officers and
elected safety representatives
must be entered in the Deck
Logbook.
The safety committee members are
responsible to the company through
the Master to ensure that all
operations are carried out on board
as per the “Code of Safe Working
Practices” and good seamanship.

14. Procedures
Safety Committee Meetings must be
conducted at intervals of one
month.
The safety meeting must be
conducted at sea and attended by
the full ship’s complement except
duty watch keepers.
Whenever any office personnel such
as the superintendents or auditors
are also on board, their presence in

15. The committee will assist the
Master in the investigations and the
preparation of reports concerning
any accidents, incidents or damages
that may occur, including any near
miss situations.
Such investigations are to include
any incidents of accidental pollution
or where there has existed a
potential threat of pollution.

16. The committee is to review and
advise the Master and the Company
in respect of matters concerning the
health, hygiene and welfare of the
crew and general sanitation.
The Safety Officer is to make a
monthly Safety Inspection of the
vessel and other inspections as
necessary prior holding the Safety
meeting. Records of such
inspections are to be maintained

17. The agenda for the safety meetingThe agenda for the safety meeting
must include the following items:must include the following items:
-- Previous meeting minutesPrevious meeting minutes
- Accident discussion and analysisAccident discussion and analysis
- Discussion of company circularsDiscussion of company circulars
- Discussion ofDiscussion of ship’s inspection byship’s inspection by
the safety committeethe safety committee
-Any suggestions / recommendationsAny suggestions / recommendations
on how to improve safety on boardon how to improve safety on board
- Any other matter affecting safetyAny other matter affecting safety

18. SMS VIOLATIONSSMS VIOLATIONS
The company is totally committed toThe company is totally committed to
Safety of life at Sea and theSafety of life at Sea and the
Environment protection. The purposeEnvironment protection. The purpose
of these procedures / policies is toof these procedures / policies is to
ensure that possible SMS violations ifensure that possible SMS violations if
any on board are handled in efficientany on board are handled in efficient
and professional manner.and professional manner.
Crew members contravening theCrew members contravening the
roles laid down in the company’sroles laid down in the company’s
SMS Manual are disciplined /SMS Manual are disciplined /
retrained as necessary.retrained as necessary.

19. Familiarisation checklist
All persons joining the vessel,
regardless of if they are crewmembers
or not, have to be instructed in the use
and locations of LSA and FFA according
to Familiarization checklist.
The Safety officer will be responsible
for familiarizing the newly joining
persons within 48 hours of joining but
before departure (24 hours if more
than 25 % of crew was changed). The
Ship Security Officer will instruct them
of ship’s general security rules.

20. This familiarization has to include,
but is not limited to:
1. Communicate with other persons
on board on elementary safety
matters and understand safety
information, symbols signs and
alarms.
2. Know what to do if
- A person falls overboard
- Fire or smoke detected
- Abandon ship alarm sounded

21. 3. Identify muster, embarkation and
emergency escape routes
4. Locate and don life jackets
5. Use of portable extinguishers
6. Take immediate action upon
encountering an accident or other
medical emergency before seeking
further medical assistance on board.
7. Close and open fire, weather and
water tight doors fitted on a
particular ship other that those for
hull operations.

22. The Chief Officer and the Chief
Engineer Officer are responsible for
the general familiarization in their
departments respectively.
The familiarization has to include,
but is not limited to:
- General regulations on behavior
on board.
- General safety matters.
- Rules and regulations regarding
safety at work.

23. - Communication systems including
emergency communication and
signaling.
- System of permits for hazardous
work.
- Use of power tools and
machinery.
-Use proper PPE.
-Every joining officer must be
familiarized with his duties on board
in accordance with his job
description.

24. THANK YOU