Danish Maritime Authority – New Project Focuses on Efficient Safety Management

In cooperation with the shipping company UNI-TANKERS, the Danish Maritime Authority has launched a project seeking to strengthen and make the safety management more efficient by introducing administrative relaxations and smooth work procedures.

The project goal is efficient administration and improved safety and occupational health. This goal is to be reached by leaning the administrative tasks so that the work is performed fast and efficiently. The Danish Maritime Authority is the project manager, and the “main characters” in the project are the officers from the tanker SELANDIA SWAN. Together with a number of colleagues from sister ships, they have filled in a questionnaire on the attitude to and distribution of the administrative burdens and their experience with occupational health.

New work procedures can increase efficiency and create improved working conditions

Officers have long working days with watchkeeping duties, varying hours of work and constant port calls. Often, it is not possible to postpone the administrative tasks. As a part of the project, the Danish Maritime Authority and the shipping company strive to change the work procedures in order to reduce the work load. The aim is to develop the experiences gained from the project and disseminate them for the purpose of the approximately 7,000 officers on board Danish ships.

Well underway with a seminar

On 24-25 May 2012, a seminar was held for a number of officers from SELANDIA SWAN as part of the project. Here, the participants analyzed the job situation and discussed what can and should be done to make the administrative work more efficient and to improve the onboard working conditions. The participants agreed to test a number of new work procedures on board the ship, in the shipping company and in the Danish Maritime Authority – measures that will be implemented and evaluated on an ongoing basis.

Funding from the Prevention Fund

The project receives funding from the Prevention Fund and, in addition, external assistance from various consultants. It will run for the next couple of years with onboard examinations, seminars, evaluation and a concluding report.

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Source: DMA, June 14, 2012