IMO’s work on human element issues - some thoughts
You could say that IMO’s work on human element issues began formally in 1991 with the creation of the Joint MSC/MEPC Working Group on the role of the human element in maritime casualties, which was later renamed the Joint Working Group (JWG) on the Human Element.
Actually, IMO had been working on human element issues long before that - just think of the STCW Convention. What is true, however, is that the work has not been carried out in a very structured and holistic manner.
What is the situation now 18 years after the establishment of the group? In order to evaluate that, we should look at human element issues firstly from a practical/ technical/operational angle, and then from a visionary/philosophical angle. The former could be seen as the ‘easy’ part. For example:
During the Group’s first years of work it concentrated primarily on matters related to safety management, Port State Control (PSC) on operational requirements and development of a common structure for shipboard emergency plans. The practical results of this work were, inter alia, the ISM Code and amendments to the guidelines on PSC.
The ISM Code has been attacked by many: it has been called a ‘paper tiger’, ‘toothless’, ‘superbureaucratic’ etc. It seems to me that many of the critics have not really read the Code or they have not understood the basic principles – some may not want to understand! The Code is not to be seen as the solution to all problems – but it is a valuable step forward. One basic and general principle is ‘Keep it simple’.
In another part of IMO, the Sub-Committee on Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG) has developed Guidelines on the Basic Elements of a Shipboard occupational health and Safety Programme. The Guidelines were approved by the IMO Committees and issued as MSC.-MEPC.2/ Circ.3 in June 2006. The impact on the industry of these guidelines is unknown to me, but it would be interesting if someone could have a look at it.
The visionary/philosophical angle has been more difficult. The JWG has developed a number of documents, among which is Resolution A.947(23) - Human Element Vision, Principles and Goals for the Organization. This resolution has been supplemented by several circulars (MSC-MEPC.7 series).
One of the circulars provides a checklist to be completed by all relevant IMO bodies before approving or adopting amendments to mandatory and non- mandatory IMO instruments. Member Governments are also encouraged to complete this checklist before submitting proposals for development or amend- ments to IMO instruments and submit a completed checklist accompanying relevant proposals.
To the best of my knowledge, no systematic analysis has been carried out to evaluate the results of the use of the checklist. This might be a worthwhile exercise.
A longer version of this article can be downloaded below:
HE00870 - IMO's work on Human Element issues - Some thoughts