33 CFR § 96.250
What documents and reports must a safety management system have?
August 2, 2023
§ 96.250 What documents and reports must a safety management system have?
The documents and reports required for a safety management system under § 96.330 or § 96.340 must include the written documents and reports itemized in Table 96.250. These documents and reports must be available to the company's shore-based and vessel(s)-based personnel:
Table 96.250—Safety Management System Documents and Reports
| Type of documents and reports | Specific requirements |
|---|---|
| (a) Safety and environmental policy statements | (1) Meet the objectives of § 96.230; and
(2) Are carried out and kept current at all levels of the company; |
| (b) Company responsibilities and authority statements | (1) The owners name and details of responsibility for operation of the company and vessel(s);
(2) Name of the person responsible for operation of the company and vessel(s), if not the owner; |
| (3) Responsibility, authority and interrelations of all personnel who manage, perform, and verify work relating to and affecting the safety and pollution prevention operations of the company and vessel(s); and | |
| (4) A statement describing the company's responsibility to ensure adequate resources and shore-based support are provided to enable the designated person or persons to carry out the responsibilities of this subpart. | |
| (c) Designation in writing of a person or persons to monitor the safety management system for the company and vessel(s) | (1) Have direct access to communicate with the highest levels of the company and with all management levels ashore and aboard the company's vessel(s);
(2) Have the written responsibility to monitor the safety and environmental aspects of the operation of each vessel; and (3) Have the written responsibility to ensure there are adequate support and shore-based resources for vessel(s) operations. |
| (d) Written statements that define the Master's responsibilities and authorities | (1) Carry out the company's safety and environmental policies;
(2) Motivate the vessel's crew to observe the safety management system policies; |
| (3) Issue orders and instructions in a clear and simple manner; | |
| (4) Make sure that specific requirements are carried out by the vessel's crew and shore-based resources; and | |
| (5) Review the safety management system and report non-conformities to shore-based management. | |
| (e) Written statements that the Master has overriding responsibility and authority to make vessel decisions | (1) Ability to make decisions about safety and environmental pollution; and
(2) Ability to request the company's help when necessary. |
| (f) Personnel procedures and resources which are available ashore and aboard ship. | (1) Masters of vessels are properly qualified for command;
(2) Masters of vessels know the company's safety management system; (3) Owners or companies provide the necessary support so that the Master's duties can be safely performed; |
| (4) Each vessel is properly crewed with qualified, certificated and medically fit seafarers complying with national and international requirements; | |
| (5) New personnel and personnel transferred to new assignments involving safety and protection of the environment are properly introduced to their duties; | |
| (6) Personnel involved with the company's safety management system have an adequate understanding of the relevant rules, regulations, codes and guidelines; | |
| (7) Needed training is identified to support the safety management system and ensure that the training is provided for all personnel concerned; | |
| (8) Communication of relevant procedures for the vessel's personnel involved with the safety management system is in the language(s) understood by them; and | |
| (9) Personnel are able to communicate effectively when carrying out their duties as related to the safety management system. | |
| (g) Vessel safety and pollution prevention operation plans and instructions for key shipboard operations. | (1) Define tasks; and
(2) Assign qualified personnel to specific tasks. |
| (h) Emergency preparedness procedures. | (1) Identify, describe and direct response to potential emergency shipboard situations;
(2) Set up programs for drills and exercises to prepare for emergency actions; and (3) Make sure that the company's organization can respond at anytime, to hazards, accidents and emergency situations involving their vessel(s). |
| (i) Reporting procedures on required actions. | (1) Report non-conformities of the safety management system;
(2) Report accidents; (3) Report hazardous situations to the owner or company; and (4) Make sure reported items are investigated and analyzed with the objective of improving safety and pollution prevention. |
| (j) Vessel maintenance procedures. (These procedures verify that a company's vessel(s) is maintained in conformity with the provisions of relevant rules and regulations, with any additional requirements which may be established by the company.) | (1) Inspect vessel's equipment, hull, and machinery at appropriate intervals;
(2) Report any non-conformity or deficiency with its possible cause, if known; (3) Take appropriate corrective actions; (4) Keep records of these activities; (5) Identify specific equipment and technical systems that may result in a hazardous situation if a sudden operational failure occurs; |
| (6) Identify measures that promote the reliability of the equipment and technical systems identified in paragraph (j)(5), and regularly test standby arrangements and equipment or technical systems not in continuous use; and | |
| (7) Include the inspections required by this section into the vessel's operational maintenance routine. | |
| (k) Safety management system document and data maintenance | (1) Procedures which establish and maintain control of all documents and data relevant to the safety management system. |
| (2) Documents are available at all relevant locations, i.e., each vessel carries on board all documents relevant to that vessels operation; | |
| (3) Changes to documents are reviewed and approved by authorized personnel; and | |
| (4) Outdated documents are promptly removed. | |
| (l) Safety management system internal audits which verify the safety and pollution prevention activities | (1) Periodic evaluation of the safety management system's efficiency and review of the system in accordance with the established procedures of the company, when needed;
(2) Types and frequency of internal audits, when they are required, how they are reported, and possible corrective actions, if necessary; |
| (3) Determining factors for the selection of personnel, independent of the area being audited, to complete internal company and vessel audits; and | |
| (4) Communication and reporting of internal audit findings for critical management review and to ensure management personnel of the area audited take timely and corrective action on non-conformities or deficiencies found. |
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