Effective Implementation of the International Safety Management Code in the Shipping Industry - Essay Example

1. Discuss the ways in which application of some of the key principles of Human  Resource Management can contribute to the effective implementation of the  International Safety Management (ISM) Code in the shipping industry  (100 Marks)  Introduction In today’s world of advancing techniques and information, Human Resource Management (HRM) has been effective to contribute to the shipping industry. Human Resource means the people’s dimension in management, i.e., how efficiently people use their skills to generate growth. The major objectives of HRM are to acquire the services that feed the needs of clients, developing the skills and motivation. The HRM principles are effectively implemented in the ISM code. The ISM code in the shipping industry was introduced for the first time to ensure safety management for the ships and passengers and for pollution prevention. The ISM code principles are as follows: To ensure safe and secure behaviours in ship operations and the working ambience To safeguard against risks like accidents To increase emergency facilities that ensures quick survival during accidents (Bhattacharya, 2009). All these ISM code principles can be implemented if only proper training facility to the officials. These training facilities are been given with the help of HRM principles which increases the human resource by proper training and implementation. The development of human recourses management has facilitated in increasing number of skilled officials. The officials in shipping industry like captain, major, emergency unit etc are appointed from the HRM having full knowledge of HRM principles. Discussion The safety management in shipping industry under IMO (International Maritime Organization) has implemented ISM facilities to the industry. The ISM code under the IMO has several guidelines like operation of the ships with the framework for proper development. Pollution prevention strategies are a good practice of the industry under the principles of ISM code. The ISM code is made compulsory since 1998. This code enables Safety Management System (SMS) to establish by every company of shipping industry. These SMS are defines by the person like managers or bareboat character who is assumed to be the person who regulates the ship operations regularly. This facility of SMS in ISM code is useful in the emergency times of accidents like the case of drowning of ship in Costa Concordia in Italy in July 2012. Due to the deficiency in the emergency signal, the accident took place, as per the evidences (IMO, 2014). The ISM code has been set up in the industry to ensure the safety and pollution prevention of environment. Thus for the betterment of the shipping industry and the development of safety in the industry, it needs proper managerial efficiencies in work-force which is given by the implementation of HRM strategies. Human Resource Management is a strategic management of the workforce for dealing and upgrading organisations in various industrial fields. The main principles of HRM policies are helpful for the implementation of proper managerial and administrative working in any industry. The major policies of the HRM principles are the philosophies and the values that are valuable to the employees. It provides the ability of decision making and also training of employees. It also helps in providing decision making in the state of mishaps or accidents in employment relationships. Without the policies of HRM, the management would be de-motivated and leads to deficiencies (Itika, 2011). To reach the goal, HRM departments mainly forces on three general functions or activities like planning, implementation and evaluation. These professionals keep up the issues that affect employment relationships-labour market and economics, the product or service market, the political environment, technological change, employment regulations, organisational psychology and social trends. The HRM policies are implemented in the ISM code, to ensure proper efficient managerial facilities to the industry. The purpose of the ISM code is to ensure minimum standards of safety management and operation of ships for pollution presentation (Bryson et al, 2013). Analysis The Human Resource Management has been valuable in shipping company due to the training of service they are provided to meet the people. Human Resource have been valuable in shipping industry. According to the book, the shipping industry is one of the prime examples of globalized industry. Moreover there is a huge craze for the HR courses in maritime shore based careers which leads to provide efficient managers, officials to engage themselves in the shipping industry. This enables their learning as a part of in-depth knowledge of the job profiles and it improves the career prospect of the offices in the industry. Shipping is one of the safe and environmental friendly modes of transport where much attention is given to the services provided on the professional, financial and telecommunications areas. It has helped to increase skilled labour which has led to labour competitiveness between people and has increased the growth of sector as well. But sometimes the policies are not efficient enough due to the in-efficiency of the administration of industry. This may occur due to the delays in the training programs (Kundu, Malhan and Kumar, 2007). The discrepancies in the shipping industry are sorted out with the help of HRM principles. The HRM policies include “Selection, Training and Development, Performance Appraisal, Compensation, Promotion, Incentives, Work Design, Involvement” etc (Kataou, 2008, p.123). All these policies can be achieved with better competences, cooperation with the management and among employees, motivation, etc. It also helps to maintain business strategies for managers like cost reduction, quality and more innovations in the industrial products. Therefore the HRM principles or policies help to increase the efficiencies, effectiveness of the employees, development of the industry, innovations and quality. The HRM principles help to cope up with the gap between in-efficiency and efficiency (Kataou, 2008). The HRM policies provide efficient training in the structural workforce. The HRM policies help to generate resourcing and development, compensation, involvement and job design and influenced by business strategies like how much cost, quality and innovation in a industry. The basis of generating the development in human skill is to provide them with proper training facilities. These facilities are provided to the employees in the process of on-going job or interactive sessions. The organizations also provide development programs for the service employees. Continuous training, teamwork and performance appraisal of the employees increase their skills and knowledge, thus increasing their human capital. Thus training policies is the strongest practice to ensure better career development in future (Kundu, Malhan and Kumar, 2007). One of the major problems is the language problem between the crew members. A crew member not able to communicate properly leads to safety risks. This evidences an example from the sank of Costa Concordia where it has been investigated that there lies a huge amount of language differences and signalling difference between the crew members and also the captain was not co-operate enough to the crew members. Educational gaps between the mixed cultures are causing a lot of problem in any industry. But the HRM policies sort this type of problems through the recruitment policies and the training policies. The HR department of any organization recruits through a variety of steps where they test the language skills of different applicants. Often HRM gives training on cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity of any nation or the employees they are associated with them. To ensure the crew member are effective communicators which an important duty for the company’s designated person (DP) (Horck, 2008). Shipping is an environment friendly form of transport and also ensures safety. Crucial services are found in the professional, financial and telecommunications areas. Conclusion Each and every management system has some dis-advantages as there is huge number of people present in the unit. In shipping Industry the main problem that arises is the management problem by the officers. In shipping business, major officials are recruited from top HR management schools to provide better services to the people. They remain trained accordingly to their academic curriculum, which increases the efficiency and skill in the shipping industry. HRM policies help to enable the organization to obtain and retain the skills, commitments and well-motivated workforce, enhance and develop the inherent capabilities of people, contributions, and potential and employment opportunities. It also develops high performance work systems that includes rigorous recruitment and selection process, performance based incentives, management development and training activities. It helps to develop a environment of cooperation between the employees, teamwork, and flexibility. Moreover it generates the organization to balance and adapt to the needs of the stake-holders, customer feedbacks and services. It manages a diverse workforce, i.e., different groups, employment variations, work style and aspirations. HRM adopts the empirical approach to managing duties, training facilities and concern for the welfare of the employees i.e., their safety measures. Basically HRM policies help to improve and innovate with respect to the physical and mental well-being of the employees. But nevertheless, the shipping industry has been facing a number of problems from different sources. The HRM facilities are focusing only on the training in the workforce but there are other aspects like health and medical facilities to address (Bach, 2001). 2. The cruise ship Costa Concordia capsized in Italy in Jan 2012. Shortly after, the ship managers sacked the captain. While the captain may have been at fault, analyse the captain’s dismissal from the perspective of Human Resource Management.  (100 Marks)  Introduction The Costa Concordia incident in Italy in Jan 2012 capsized and sank resulting in loss of human lives of 32 people in the ship. The incident took place in Isola Del Giglio Tuscany on 13th Jan 2012, where the ship was loaded with 4252 passengers and sailed in the Mediterranean Sea. As the ship was heading towards the Mediterranean Sea, it hit a rock, tilted on both the sides and sank into the river. The ship was occupied with 4000 people of whom 32 people were dead leading to controversies started. The captain of the ship was sacked due to the mishap that took place. The in efficient management and safety issues lead to the deaths of a huge number of people. Moreover it also added to the high risk of pollution due to sinking of ship. The ship contained oil being shipped to different countries and exports. This oil resulted in water pollution when they fell into the sea water. Thus an accident in the Italian coastline has caused serious damage to the environment as well as loss of human life. Moreover many crew members were wounded and a salvage member even died during this mishap. So many regulations were created to avoid similar consequences (BBC News, 2013). Discussion The great accident of Costa Concordia was a result of mismanagement between the captain and the team which lead to huge controversies resulting in the resignation of the captain. The captain was held guilty due to the orders that he gave for the turn of the ship from its original course. The ship had rupture on its left side due to which water started pouring in and it was inclined on one side. The water went into the engine rooms and flooded them which resulted in the dysfunctioning of the ship and sank beneath the sea. The crew tried to evaluate the circumstances and misinformed the authorities and at times provided incomplete information. The captain gave the orders to tell the coastguard that they had had a "failure" and need help from tug boats. The radio operator announced alongside that the passengers were supplied with life jackets, and nobody was harmed and the left part of the ship had some kind of an incision. But after a short while he abandoned the ship leaving the second master to co-ordinate the evacuation. Most passengers were escaped in life-boats and helicopters were provided to the passengers who were stranded on the tilting side of the ship (BBC News, 2013). After the recovery of the passengers, the captain was sacked and arrested for his abandonment of the shipping activities and his tenure ended. He was arrested on the charge of killing many people and leaving the ship. Moreover he and the navigation system were charged with the accusation that he did not point out the rock that came into the way of the ship that created destruction. But during the investigation he admitted that he was too late to notice the rock during navigation, almost near to the island and so the accident took place. It was also noticed that the captain turned the course of the ship from its original course towards the island in order to show the ship to the locals of the island. He was charged with a number of issues and this resulted in his resignation from his post. Analysis There are a lot of discrepancies in the managerial concepts between the crew members and the captain. The captain abandoned all his duties and passed on his duties to the second official without realising the drawbacks. This shows the lack in responsibility which should be built within every senior employee of the senior industry. The lives of the crew members and passengers should come first and any selfish action should be condemned. This needs to be made a part of the training process and only then the ISM code with respect to safety and security of the passengers can be truly maintained. The major error was made by the captain as he changed his original course of voyage towards the island in order to show the localities. This was an act of ‘touristic view’ (Di Lieto, 2012). The second error was on the part of the voyage planning. In this case, the original route was drawn on the paper which shows the bridge but not the rock. This has implied towards a different planning and this resulted in the sinking of the ship after getting hit by the rock. The third error was done by the watch officer. It was his specific task to monitor the route. As the captain changed his route of voyage, the bridge team skipped the monitoring of the ship changing its route. No monitoring was done on the bridge. Moreover there was a language gap between the helmsman and the rest of the team which created a barrier for them to react quickly. So the main error that took place was the captain’s error and the in-efficiency of the bridge team. They for a moment did not notice the change of route by the captain and failed to follow his moves. The fourth error that took place during the mishap was the route monitoring team and the Bridge Resource management. The route monitoring team as in the previous case was not efficient enough because of the presence of language differences between the crew members and the helmsman. Also the contour charts that were made in order to monitor the route were lacking in expertise. The last error that was made by the shipping industry lies in the human resource management team. The human resource management was lacking in their effectiveness in ship handling activities. Also the decision making of the captain has witnessed a example of low efficiency and unskilled. Also the accident witnessed some serious managerial and administrative defects. These have serious setback on environment and on workforce. Hence to develop the business strategies, there should be increase in the efficiencies in the human resource team with proper skill and training. Thus HRM policies should be implemented for development in workforce (Di-Lieto, 2012). The captain’s tragic end in the accident was a serious issue to be looked into as the captain’s act was a mere act of ignorance and miss-communication in the crew members. In this context, human resource plays a role which includes the skill and training of an individual to deliver his skills during his tenure. Human resources have been helpful in various ways to generate growth of human development in the fields of knowledge, decision making in times of accidents, etc. So in this concept the captain was genuinely not so trained and he abandoned the principle of ISM code in the shipping industry. According to the ISM code of the shipping industry, it ensures the people to have a safe journey, betterment of the ship, less human lives loss and betterment of the environment (Victoria, 2013). From the discussion of the paper, Costa Concordia, Anatomy of an organisational accident by Capt. Antonio Di Lieto, we have derived that the error occurred through the combination of three main errors. The main errors at three different levels were: “the errors of the bridge team, the error-inducing conditions of their workplace (the bridge), and the organisational processes behind them – following Reason’s (1997) model of organisational accident” (Di-Lieto, 2012, p.1). From the organisational accident model, it has seen that in case of Costa Concordia, there was a lack in managerial processes such as human resource development management, acquisition of technology, the delivery of training and language differences. All these were the main cause of the mis-management between the crew members and the captain and also the emergency team (Di Lieto, 2012). So for better performance of the shipping industry, there is a need of proper management and co-ordination between the crew members who spent half of their lives in the ships sailing. Different strategies like human resource management are implemented in the industry both at workplace and organization. Human Resource management in academic courses are provided to enable people to increase their skills and knowledge by acquiring training and industry specific training can be very helpful. Training facilities are provided by private government. Government contributes about 8% of the total variables in the shipping industry (sectors) and also in HRM department of about 84 %. Career development focuses on the socialization of workers with management culture and service course and providing opportunity (Kundu, Malhan and Kumar, 2007, p.81). Conclusion The disaster of the Costa Concordia has been a setback to the shipping industry witnessed human failures in management of the shipping industry. A series of human mistakes starting from the captain’s negligence and distraction, the bridge team failure to question the orders of the captain and warn the coming danger contributed to the accident of Costa Concordia. Investigators had evident that the language problem between the crew member and deficiencies. Moreover the immediate flooding of five contiguous watertight compartments, lead to the drowning of the ship. All these actions indicate deficiency in the managerial levels. Recommendations were given by government to improve the vital infrastructure of the shipping industry. The emergency power generation, international instruments such as SOLAS, STCW and ISM Code were given proper importance (Seatrade Insider). References 1. Bach, S. 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Seatrade Insider (2013), Costa Concordia casualty probe pinpoints series of human failures, available at: http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/costa-concordia-casualty-probe-pinpoints-series-of-human-failures.html (accessed on August 15 2014) 11. Victoria, D (2013), Costa Concordia’s seafloor legacy, New Scientist, Vol. 219, No.2935 Read More