IMCA Newsroom

Press Release 05/06

IMCA PUBLISHES FMEA GUIDE FOR DIVING SYSTEMS

Diving systems have come under the FMEA (failure modes and effects analyses) spotlight thanks to a new publication from IMCA - the International Marine Contractors Association. This new document, the first ever published to assist in the performance of FMEAs for diving systems, has been produced to offer guidance to owners and operators of diving systems in all aspects of the FMEA process.

"Over recent years, IMCA has issued a considerable amount of well-received documentation relating to FMEAs primarily targeted at the commissioning and carrying out of these analyses on dynamically positioned (DP) vessels," explains Hugh Williams, chief executive of IMCA. "Now, at the request of our Diving Division, we've turned our attention to diving-specific guidance, building on the marine document and addressing issues of special interest to diving contractors."

The newly published 'FMEA Guide for Diving Systems' looks at the reasons behind needing an FMEA; selection of an FMEA team; agreement of a structure and scope for the FMEA; collation of relevant documentation; performance of the FMEA; verification and testing; and ongoing maintenance of the process. It offers examples of the typical methodology used in specifying, performing and maintaining an FMEA for a diving system; and examples of good practice to the FMEA practitioners; as well as providing references to other relevant documentation that may assist them in performing an FMEA.

"It's up to the owner or operator of each diving system to determine if there is a requirement for an FMEA to be in place, both for existing and new diving systems," explains Hugh Williams. "Indeed in the very first practical part of the publication we set out some of the drivers that should be assessed when determining whether or not an FMEA should be performed. These include international codes/legislation; classification society rules; industry guidance (e.g. the use of IMCA documentation); or company internal management systems.

"There may be alternative risk management tools in place within the company's management system that achieve the same purpose as the FMEA in identifying, assessing and mitigating failure modes and their impact on the diving system or association diving operation. The FMEA can be used to complement the other risk assessment methods used prior to and during a diving operation - in itself an FMEA will not analyse the actual diving tasks and its associated risk and management. We have kept the new publication reasonably short and concise to enable all levels of management dealing with the ownership or operation of a diving system to understand their needs and responsibilities with respect to the FMEA process.

Notes to Editors (common)

• IMCA is an international association with over 450 members in more than 50 countries, representing offshore, marine and underwater engineering companies. IMCA has four technical divisions, covering marine/specialist vessel operations, offshore diving, hydrographic survey and remote systems and ROVs, plus geographic sections for the Americas Deepwater, Asia-Pacific, Europe & Africa and Middle East & India regions, as well as a core focus on safety, the environment, competence and training. IMCA seeks to promote its members' common interests, to resolve industry-wide issues and to provide an authoritative voice for its members.
• IMCA publishes some 200 guidance notes and technical reports. These have been developed over the years and are widely distributed. They are a definition of what IMCA stands for, including widely recognised diving and ROV codes of practice, DP documentation, marine good practice guidance, the Common Marine Inspection Document, safety recommendation, outline training syllabi and the IMCA competence scheme guidance. In addition to the range of printed guidance documents, IMCA also produces safety promotional materials, circulates information notes and safety flashes.
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