Safety Culture: A study on ship type and management

Abstract

Safety culture is the fundamental driver of an effective and safe work environment. It integrates shared values and beliefs into daily operations. In today’s highly competitive shipping industry conflicts may arise from maintaining safety standards and achieving profitability. There are many different types of ships sailing around the world with different purposes, each carrying different cargo and different operational demands, but safety remains to be the common element between them. However, does the view of safety differ depending on operation needs? This study aims to find out how a ship type can change the perception of safety environment, with particular focus on what is required for effective safety management. Students at Aboa Mare, Novia UAS where surveyed to get their perception on the safety culture onboard their respective vessels and it was found that there are slight differences on vessels depending on their operational needs.