Volume 49, No. 8, May 18, 2006

It has been a while coming but last month Chief of Navy approved the publication of version 4 of ABR 6303 which is a complete revision of the book.

Now, this may not rank alongside Australia regaining the Ashes in terms of events to get excited about but professionally it is of importance to all of us working in and for Navy.

Why?

The plan to start re-writing the book started about two years ago for many reasons, not least of which was that version three was missing many big chunks of safety-related information that are relevant in the modern safety climate. Don’t let this give you the impression that Navy is becoming disproportionately safety obsessed, but like it or not we are becoming more safety-focussed and our policies, systems, tools and processes need to reflect this.

One of the biggest ‘missing chunks’ was the lack of a defined OHS Management System for Navy. The idea of an OHS Management System is not new but it is a safety-speak way of describing the scope of policies an organisation like Navy is expected to have to do its business safely.

There is an Australian Standard for OHS Management Systems (AS/NZS 4801:2001) and the need to describe Navy’s system against this Standard was very influential in shaping the new book. In some areas Navy has already been doing the things expected of the Australian Standard but in others there were gaps and these needed filling.

What’s Changed?
Well the name has, it is now the Navy Safety Systems Manual, and quite a lot else! Because so much has changed there is not much point in doing comparisons with version 3 and you will need to get familiar with the layout of this new version.

The book is in two parts. Part 1 is the policy and background stuff or, simply put, what I need to know.

Part 2 is the specific instructions and guidance material for all sorts of stuff or what I need to do. Some of the main changes are:
• A chapter about Navy Safety Culture
• Revision of Navy OHS Training policy
• An update on OHSIR format
• Guidance on maritime accident investigations
• Revised guidelines on risk and hazard management
• A very important chapter about safety investigations

Who Needs to Know?

Well, really everybody does – safety is everybody’s business. No doubt the further up the Command chain you are the more important it is that you know and understand your safety obligations because of the impact your actions may have on others; but everybody is involved because we all have safety responsibilities from the day we join the Navy workforce.

To try and get this book to you as effectively as possible, DNAVSAFE has reviewed and amended the Defence Publishing Service distribution list (on the DPS DARRTS database) to achieve a Navy-wide ship and shore distribution. We have had to take a best guess at the number of copies you will need/want.

The revised distribution list will be sent to all units and if you need to make a change use form SP150, or if you are unsure, contact DNAVSAFE (numbers below) and we can try and sort it out.

This article is just an introduction to let you know the new ABR 6303 will soon be in circulation.

DNAVSAFE will follow up with other more detailed articles about different sections of the book as part of an ongoing education and awareness process.

If you don’t get sight of a copy in the next few weeks, or you want to know more, contact DNAVSAFE on Tel. 1800 558 555 or Email: navy.safety@defence.gov.au.

Navy Safety Awards 2006

Nominations for the Second Annual Navy Safety Awards are now being sought. DEFGRAM 167/2006 spells everything out regarding the award categories, who is eligible and how they will be judged.

Whilst it is likely that most nominations will be submitted in Minute format through the Command chain, it should be noted that this is not essential.

The award scheme aims to encourage participation and make the process of nomination as straightforward as possible. Accordingly, nominations are sought from all ranks and personnel and will receive equal consideration by the judging panel against the assessment criteria.

The submissions must be received prior to 30 September 2006 and sent to:
Navy Safety Awards 2006
Directorate of Navy Safety Systems
CP4-6-009
Department of Defence
Canberra ACT 2600

CN and DCN will be in attendance for the presentation of the awards, which have been scheduled for November. For more information see DEFGRAM 167/2006 (go to the Defence Intranet – Resources >> Documents > New Documents) or the SMS-N website at http://intranet.defence.gov.au/navyweb/Sites/sms_n/

KEEP NAVY SAFE - The OHSIR Database Site

Where does your Occupational Health & Safety Incident Report (OHSIR) go? Well, one of the places is the OHSIR Database, where you (if you’ve got a DRN log-on) can see, chart/graph and print every OHSIR written since January 2003.

So, what’s the big deal? If used wisely, the information can be very powerful and there is a lot of information in an OHSIR. As an example, last month’s SEAWORTHY article on ‘Contractors’ quoted the number of contractor-related incidents in successive years/ time periods.

That information was retrieved using the OHSIR Database. Every signal, approval and SITREP related to the original OHSIR is included in the Database, along with a covering-sheet listing the various categories that describe the OHSIR. This is extremely handy when assembling a report.

The OHSIR Database is an intranet website within the Maritime Command area. The web link is http://mhq.defence.gov.au/ohs/ or alternately, on the Maritime Command home page, click on Safety and Environment Reporting Systems and then select OHS.

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that the OHSIRs are listed under their respective Safety Environments (ships with SHIPSAFE, bases with SHORESAFE etc.), Therefore, if you wanted to see what was going on with all ‘Contractor’ OHSIRs, you would fill in the respective drop-down menus (All OHSIRs, 01JAN06 to 31MAR06, Contractors) and the result would be 41 OHSIRs; short of the 50 that was written about.

Now you need to go to the top of the page and beside where it says SHIPSAFE, click on ‘change’ and select SHORESAFE, you will find the other nine ‘Contractor’ OHSIRs from the shore establishments.

With the information collated into the OHSIR Database, trends can be spotted earlier and information for reports can be quickly gathered. Try and get the most out of this system and the data available to you in order to KEEP NAVY SAFE.

New Hazard Risk Calculator Cards

Rest assured, DNAVSAFE has not been filing the requests for Hazard Risk Calculator (HRC) Cards into our “One of These Days We’ll Get around to It” file. The new cards have been with the printer and have just been delivered to DNAVSAFE.

We will conduct a fleet/establishment wide initial distribution and this will include Cadet Units.

The new HRC cards have been redesigned to fold to a ‘credit card’ dimension and will be printed on paper that will resist moisture breakdown. The ‘Hazard Likelihood/Severity’ chart and ‘Hazard Risk Index’ have not changed so your present card is still valid for assisting you in conducting Hazard Risk Assessments and filling out an OHSIR signal.

BZ Locker - A Nose For Danger

A sailor on HMAS Ballarat was passing by 01F Load Centre when the distinct smell of burning electrical equipment was noticed, but no actual smoke. The EOOD was immediately notified and investigated with a Thermal Imaging Camera (TIC) to assist in identifying the source of the smell which was revealed to be an overheated terminal.

After isolating power to the Load Centre, a closer inspection showed that the terminal had become loose, probably due to vibration, and had created a high electrical resistant joint. The wires from the damaged terminal were re-routed and there was no loss of ship’s capability.

Two highlights of this incident are apparent. The first is the action of the sailor responding to an unusual smell (as opposed to ‘shrugging shoulders’ and walking on). BZ.
The second is the use of the TIC to quickly find the source of the electrical burn. Indeed, the TIC will now be regularly utilised to visually inspect fitted terminal blocks within the Load Centres to identify potential high-resistant joints. BZ.