Ensuring that all involved parties are aware of the intended plan for carrying out any task or activity is essential to completion of the task in a safe, structured and effective way. Uncertainty or a lack of clarity is a major cause of incidents resulting in loss, injury or damage and much of this can be eliminated or reduced by carrying out a thorough briefing prior to starting.

  

A briefing is designed to ensure that all those involved have the necessary information to carry out the planned task in a safe and effective manner. It is not a replacement for good seamanship or common sense on the part of those involved.

 

An effective briefing will be carried out prior to commencing the task or activity and will cover all relevant areas of the operation in question. An effective means of carrying out a briefing is to use the “SMEAC” method:

 

S. SITUATION

A brief overview of the situation and the planned operation, what has led to this task needing to be carried out, where the work is to be done and what action has already been carried out.

 

M. MISSION

Describe what the ultimate goal of the task or activity is, i.e. what is to be achieved. This should be a very clear, simple statement, for example:

• “We are here to chip and paint the port side of the funnel”, or

• “We are going to navigate the vessel into the port and safely berth at x Wharf”

 

E. EXECUTION

Answer the following questions for those involved:

• How will the task be carried out?

• Who is responsible for what?

• Who is in charge?

• How will we assess our progress?

• What equipment will we need?

• Do we need to isolate anything before beginning?

 

A. ACTIONS ON SAFETY

• What could change to make the task/ activity unsafe?

• How do those involved point out any safety issues they see, who do they tell?

• Contingency planning:

    o What is likely to go wrong?

    o How will we react if the worst happens?

    o What happens next?

 

C. COMMUNICATIONS

• Who do we need to inform before we start?

• Who do we need to inform when we are finished?

• What are the normal means of communication? What radio channel, telephone numbers, etc.?

• If people will be going into a dangerous environment where they are not immediately visible to other members of the group, what routine reporting system is in place? How often should people radio in? What action is to be taken if someone fails to report as required?

• How do we get help in an emergency?

 

This is just a guide, and more or different detail may be required for specific tasks. What is important is that all relevant safety information is passed to all members of the group.

 

01.4 Who May Request a Briefing

Any member of the team/ group required to carry out a task/ activity may request a briefing from the person in charge before work begins. The person in charge may delegate the carrying out of the briefing to another suitably experienced person but must be in attendance for the briefing itself.

 

In an emergency situation, where there may not be time for a full briefing, crew members are expected to rely on their training and experience and act on the orders of the person in charge. Even in an emergency situation, the person in charge should consider whether it is still necessary to carry out, even a partial, briefing to ensure the safety of their team.

 

 

01.5 Situations where Briefings are Required

There are certain times when a briefing must be carried out prior to the activity commencing. The Master/ Officer in Charge must plan the activity in such a way as to allow time for this briefing to take place in an effective way. This may mean that those involved must be present earlier than would be normally required. Situations where briefings must be carried out are:

• Before embarking a pilot

• Before going on “standby”

• Before berthing or letting go

• Before anchoring

• Before cargo operations commence

• Before bunkering or sludging operations commence

• Before commencing the procedure for entering an enclosed space

• Before carrying out work at height

• Before carrying out work over the side of the ship

 

This list is not exhaustive, and the person in charge must carefully consider each activity and determine whether it is necessary or would be beneficial to carry out a briefing. In coming to their conclusion, they must consider:

• The likely duration of the task 

• The risks involved

• The consequences should any part of the task not go to plan

• The experience of those assigned to carry out the task

 

If the personnel carrying out the task or activity change while it is in progress, then the person handing over must give their replacement all of the information that was provided at the initial briefing. If they are unclear on any point or cannot remember, then they must seek out the person in charge.