Everything You Need to know about Health, Safety & Environment (HSE)

When it comes to shipping and personnel safety, regulatory bodies such as the International Labor Organisation (ILO) have defined a clear set of policies that keep things in line. From maritime health and safety regulations to the work environment, safety policies are playing a pivotal role in securing optimum operations on vessels. 

The topic of maritime safety brings with it a litany of abbreviations and acronyms, the chief among them being HSE, HSEQ, HSQE, and HSSE.

In this piece, we’ll talk about these terminologies and go beyond merely the HSE full form & HSQE full form to dive deep into what they mean for your shipping business.

The Maritime Safety Acronyms: An Overview

Safety management is one of the most crucial aspects of running a legally compliant shipping enterprise. This is where HSE, HSQE, HSEQ and HSSE come into play. While all these terms refer to the rules and regulations around safe shipping, they are slightly different from each other. Here are the full forms of each of these terms.

HSE full form – Health, Safety and Environment

HSSE full form – Health, Safety, Security and Environment 

HSEQ full form – Health, Safety, Environment and Quality 

HSQE full form – Health, Safety, Quality and Environment 

These acronyms target important protocols necessary not just for the day-to-day operations in shipping, but also for the shipping company’s commitment to maintaining benchmarks in the industry. 

The presence of such a department in your shipping company is the foundation of proper HSE management in your vessels. It makes sure that the HSE policies listed on paper get implemented in an organised fashion.

The Meaning of HSE

HSE’s full form is Health, Safety and Environment – a dedicated division of shipping companies that makes sure these regulations are implemented on the vessels. No matter what you name the safety department in your vessels, what matters more is that it exists! 

What is HSE?

Health, Safety and Environment divisions in shipping companies majorly look after the following:

• Reduction in safety hazards for personnel through standard operating procedures which are in line with international regulations
• Prevention of adverse environmental impacts that may happen through the day to day operations
• Installing safety frameworks that guide manpower through the best course of action
• Remedial of accidental issues arising out of improper equipment usage 

The Importance of an HSE Policy

Management of health and safety on ships is not just relevant from the perspective of staff, but also the environment. With things such as carbon emissions, oil spillage and excessive heat, the planet is already under a lot of stress from industrial development. 

The right HSE policy helps your company become a responsible player in the shipping business ecosystem. 

Without a well-laid out HSE framework, it would be difficult to manage the overall health and safety aspects of your business, not to mention the legal issues that come with it.

HSE Best Practices

If safety at sea is at the top of your priorities, it would be very beneficial for your company to stick to a code of ethics that helps you navigate through these complexities. 

• Creating HSE forms and keeping them updated with the latest maritime policies laid out by international maritime governing bodies 
• Logging all events concerning HSE, such as but not limited to accidents and near misses
• Documenting and processing HSE events in textual, photographic and other formats for reviews 
• Statistical analysis and garnering intelligence based on data about safety performance on the vessel 
• Performing scheduled and random HSE audits about documentation, systems and personnel involvement 
• Sharing audit reports, analyses and other operational documentation relevant to HSE with stakeholders 
• Utilising audit findings, pattern analysis and findings from data for improvements in the operational mythology

Duties & Responsibilities of an HSE Officer

An HSE officer is the foremost point of contact for all safety issues on the vessel. However, their responsibility is not just limited to the ship but also to the staff on board. The presence of an HSE officer besides being a regulatory requirement is a precursor to a safe work environment on a ship. 

The primary responsibilities of an HSE officer are to:

• Analyse existing safety, health and environmental policies to perform timely updates that keep your vessel at par with the latest policies 
• Perform risk assessment from time to time, find loopholes and implement safety protocols 
• Train your manpower on the existing maritime HSE policies and make sure they are up to date with them 
• Cultivate a positive culture around HSE parameters for the mutual benefit of employees and well as the company
• Enforce strict health & safety parameters for everyone on-board 
• Keep stakeholders informed about accidents and incidents related to HSE 
• Record, update and share daily HSE reports with relevant parties 

In an increasingly digitized world, a Safety Management System (SMS) makes things easier for shipping companies. It automates safety management and reduces the chances of errors that come with manual dependence. 

Integrated SMS software would help you mitigate safety risks, prevent accidents, enhance onboard safety and face any unexpected challenges. While managing all this manually is possible, an advanced SMS software makes things easier and faster. SMS also makes it easier for you to manage HSE documents for multiple vessels through an interface that centralises everything. 

SBN Tech’s Shipmate is the ultimate system for Health, Safety and Environment on a ship. Our software is backed by years of development and trusted by dozens of global shipping companies. 

To learn more about the features and benefits of Shipmate and how we can help your company achieve compliance and competitive edge, get in touch with us today!