Stornoway
Harbour Board
Port
Marine Safety Code
Introduction
Stornoway
Port Authority, in common with many other trust ports,
works within the framework of the Port Marine Safety Code,
as approved by the Department of the Environment Transport
and Regions (DETR) establishing procedures to control
all the marine and operational activities within its jurisdiction.
The
purpose of the marine safety management system is to manage
all marine and related activities safely in the waters
within the Port Authority's jurisdiction.
Through
the implementation of the marine safety management system,
all operations undertaken by the Port Authority are carried
out with due diligence at all times. The policies and
the procedures that define the marine safety management
system and its ongoing performance are evaluated regularly
to ensure that it remains effective and efficient.
The
Port Authority shall monitor its marine activities, shall
measure its performance against defined standards, and
shall publish these results periodically. It shall assess
the effectiveness and efficiency of its operations with
a periodic review of performance every 3 years as a minimum.
The
Port Authority shall establish and maintain an effective
management structure to manage safely the navigation and
operation of all vessels within its jurisdiction. Port
Authority Board Members shall be individually and collectively
accountable for marine safety and shall be considered
to be the "duty holder". The Port Authority shall nominate
a "designated person(s)" to monitor the implementation
and the effectiveness of the marine safety management
system on behalf of the Port Authority. This person shall
be assigned the necessary responsibilities and authority
to enable him/her to provide independent information on
performance. To ensure that all Harbour personnel fully
understand safety requirements, clearly defined responsibilities
and authorities shall be defined.
The
Chief Executive shall set out a formal Business Plan for
all harbour activities. This shall contain a number of
key strategies and plans, including those for marine safety.
The strategy and plan for marine safety shall be formulated
after consultation with employees and any interested parties.
The purpose of the marine safety plan shall be to define
how marine safety policies and strategies shall be implemented
and it shall take into consideration the resources required
to discharge the Port Authority's responsibilities. The
marine safety plan shall be developed by management and
shall be subject to the Chief Executive's approval. Management
shall review regularly, actual progress against the plan
and where performance is unsatisfactory, corrective action
shall be initiated.
Marine
Safety Planning and Assessment
The
marine safety aspects of the Business Plan shall be based
upon the findings of regular, formal, overall risk assessments.
Each of these overall risk assessments shall take stock
of the Port Authority's current operations and shall establish
a performance baseline. Each assessment shall also take
into account routine and non-routine emergency working
situations. On the basis of each assessment's findings,
a Safety Improvement Plan shall be developed to raise
the level of overall safety performance. Each Safety Improvement
Plan shall be published and shall be formally addressed
and reviewed at Port Authority Board level on a regular
basis. Overall risk assessments shall be carried out at
least once every two years. Responsibilities for agreed
improvement activities shall be assigned to key personnel.
Wherever there is a significant change in operations or
facilities, the risk assessment exercise shall be repeated
and the Safety Improvement Plan shall be updated as required.
In this way a philosophy of continuous improvement shall
be promulgated.
