Does your company need a Safety Management System?
TBS has created a Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) that adheres to the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. Our plan meets Subchapter M and AWO RCP. The objectives of Sub M are to ensure safety at sea, prevention of human injury or loss of life and avoidance of damage to the environment, in particular the marine environment and to property.
Our objective is to help you operate a safe, efficient company that is in compliance with all rules and regulations. We can assess your operation and provide you with a Towing Safety Management System for your office and vessels.
We will also assist with the implementation of the plan through training and audits and we will help you continually improve your organization.
Our Safety Management System and training program will help with the promotion of a culture of safety and environmental management and we will be your expert partner for safety, quality and Subchapter M compliance.
A TSMS is a Towing Safety Management System. The TSMS is a document that is customized to your company and details the safe and correct way to perform the duties both on the vessel and ashore.
The goal is safety and environmental protection. Keep the crew safe, the equipment safe and functioning as designed and protect the waterways, land and air around the vessel.
It boils down to risk assessment – something that each of us do daily and something that our mariner’s do as such a regular part of their jobs that it is second nature. Risk assessments are conducted to estimate how much damage or injury can be expected from exposures to a given risk agent and to assist in judging whether these consequences are great enough to require increased management and/or regulation.
The TSMS starts out as a compilation of the assessed risks and how we deal with them. It encompasses the what-if’s – what if we went aground, what would we do to minimize injury or death, damage to the equipment and damage to the environment. It covers the procedures for safe use of equipment – deck machinery, tools, ladders, etc.
It is built on a foundation of commitment. The company commits to operating in a safe and environmentally aware way. Roles and responsibilities are defined. Authority of the Master is acknowledged. A maintenance program is committed to so that equipment is not just run to failure, but rather maintained in a responsible, safe manner.
And then, the whole system is checked both internally and externally and the results of the audits are used to improve the company.
This is where Tug & Barge Solutions comes in. We have developed TSMS’s for both coastal and inland companies. We have not only assessed the companies that we work for, but also our own performance and we keep improving. It’s never ending and we live for it.
Tug & Barge Solutions’ TSMS is second to none. We have had it vetted by two class societies and two TPOs and it meets Sub M, AWO RCP and the ISM Code. We have used it for AWO RCP and it has come through with flying colors. It has been through 5 AWO RCP audits in 2017 and 11 AWO RCP audits in 2016. And for the last two years we have been refining the Sub M policies, procedures and forms in the field. Our customers make it usable and continually improve on its functionality.