Research into the effectiveness of ISM Code auditing in enforcement of maritime safety and environmental regulations
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master Thesis
Master Thesis
Program
Publicerad
2011
Författare
Wahlgren, Jonas
Lorentzon, Rickard
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
The International Safety Management (ISM) Code sets goals and requirements for shipowners/operators to implement a safety management system. The purpose of the ISM Code is to provide an international standard for the safe management and operation of ships and for pollution prevention. Recognizing that no two shipping companies are the same, and that ships operate under a wide range of different conditions, the code is based on general principles and objectives allowing the shipping companies to develop their own methods of achieving the set goals. The ISM Code is based on management systems principles and the shipping companies are required to perform internal audits to verify compliance with the safety management system. Compliance with the ISM Code is subject to audits carried out by flag state administrations and organizations, such as classification societies, who are authorised to perform audits on their behalf. This purpose of this thesis is to identify areas where the ISM audit procedure can be improved and suggest potential improvements. The methods used are literature studies, audit participating and primarily meetings with key persons, professionals working with ISM audits both at auditing and audited organizations. The investigation resulted in the identification of several areas where the audit procedure can be improved including auditor uniformity, supporting documentation, audit preparations, usage of drills and audit reporting quality. The quality of some of the master´s and management reviews could and should be improved. Several potential improvements are identified. More auditor uniformity could be achieved with a computerized audit tool, improved experience exchange seminars and increased use of two auditors. More thorough preparations should be beneficial for the effectiveness of the audits. Feedback to auditors could identify areas where more training of the auditors is needed and highlight auditor differences that might need measures.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Transport , Farkostteknik , Transport , Vehicle Engineering