Positive Perception in Maritime Safety

In this article are published the results of an international study on safety culture tools in shipping, undergone in 2020. The research objective is to propose a Safety Culture Assessment Fast Tool (SCAFT) used to identify preliminary basic premises of safety culture existence within shipping companies. Research methodology used to identify most appropriate questions for SCAFT consist in a comparative analysis between the introduction of safety culture concept by the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG) from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the later use of safety culture within the particular sector of shipping. SCAFT consists in a number of 4 questions focusing on two distinct perspectives: individuals (seafarers) commitment to the safety culture and effectiveness of communication of their safety concerns, and, respectively, leaders’ understanding on the necessity of education and motivation of seafarers and assuming leadership’s full responsibility when dealing with safety incidents. The advantage of using SCAFT consist in the simplicity and ease to use and the relevance for any company from the shipping sector. The limitation of the tool is referring to the lack of deep systemic analysis, necessary for a complex assessment for the safety culture, as well as restrictive access to the informational field for observers outside the analyzed entity.