IMCA Newsroom

Press Release 05/08

ENSURING THE SAFETY OF NON-MARINE PERSONNEL WORKING ON A VESSEL

Safety is of paramount importance in the offshore contracting industry, and for this reason the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has updated a slim, but invaluable, document, 'Guidance on Basic Safety Training and Vessel Induction for Non-Marine Personnel Working Offshore'.

"Non-marine personnel can be defined as persons who, though not normally working onboard a vessel, may need to do so for a period of days or weeks in order to fulfil the needs of a given project," explains IMCA’s chief executive, Hugh Williams. "The guideline offers examples of topics to be covered in basic safety training programmes, but is not intended to be used directly as a training document.

"Rather, it provides a checklist on topics the contractor should consider for inclusion in a basic safety programme, which should be adapted for the workforce and the vessel/work to be undertaken. It is essential that non-marine personnel working offshore feel totally at home on board and react with second nature to all situations, just like their marine-based colleagues."

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.