IMCA Newsroom

Press Release 07/06

LEARNING FROM MISTAKES - A KEY TO IMPROVED SAFETY

All 300+ member companies of IMCA - the International Marine Contractors Association - have recently received a letter from the association's chief executive, Hugh Williams, drawing attention to the valuable nature of incident reporting and the pursuit of efficiency.

"Learning from our mistakes is a key part of business improvement and the pursuit of efficiency. Avoiding repeating an incident or accident saves lives, time and money - we all know it makes sense," he says. "Our members are based in 35 countries and active in the waters surrounding many more. Wherever they are geographically, it is important that they share lessons they have learned.

"IMCA's various initiatives including safety flashes, dynamic positioning (DP) incident reporting and the more recently introduced focus on lifting incidents all play a part in the ongoing campaign to achieve zero accidents," he explains.

• IMCA safety flashes disseminate information on recent incidents and the lessons learned from them. This can be in terms of faulty equipment, gaps in procedures or risk assessments and reminders of the need for basic safety awareness. Sharing this information through IMCA can help those carrying out similar operations and/or using similar equipment learn to avoid the same hazards. If the information isn't passed on, someone else could get hurt. "Many members contribute to the system," explains Hugh Williams. "It would be more effective if everyone did."
• DP incident data extends back to1980, with annual reports from 1989 which collate and analyse the incidents. This helps to establish trends that can be reviewed and discussed with vessel operators, equipment suppliers and training establishments to address specific issues. The results have helped keep the DP fleet operational, safe and acceptable to authorities by feeding into design practice, procedures and training.
• IMCA now aims to mirror the benefits of the DP system by collecting data on incidents involving lifting operations and equipment. "We produced an updated reporting form last year and this is available on request, but reports in a member company's own format are just as welcome. It is the facts that we need!" says Hugh Williams.

"We really cannot urge members strongly enough to contribute to these systems," he urges. "Each will only be as useful as the material they provide. Every member that contributes makes the output more valuable - more data to analyse, more lessons shared, and more incidents avoided. All submissions are made anonymous and checked with the contributor prior to publication in any form.

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.
• Judith Patten is here to help you if you want any additional information on IMCA; would like to discuss a feature article; want to organise interviews with key members of the IMCA team, etc.