Compliance Management System examples in Ports and Harbours

Compliance Management System examples in Ports and Harbours

Compliance Management System Examples in Ports and Harbours

Compliance management is a necessity within any industry. 

Whether your business operates in manufacturing, food production, local government or in this case the Port and Harbour industry, operating to industry and safety regulation is an essential  requirement for every business. 

Not only does it mean that your organisation is operating in compliance with legislation, but you also give clients confidence in your operational standards and demonstrate a safety-first culture within your business.  

Compliance Management System Examples in Ports and Harbours

Compliance Management System Overview

Before we look at the specifics within the Port and Harbour industries, it’s important to understand what a compliance management system is and what it does. 

A compliance management system, sometimes shortened to a CMS, will be used by an organisation to understand, and manage its compliance responsibilities. 

In simple terms, a compliance management system will help an organisation manage and track all the relevant internal policies, procedures, checks and activities that a business is required to carry out to maintain its legal and regulatory obligations. 

Nature of Ports Industry

With that in mind, let’s turn our attention to the Ports industry. 

From smaller terminals and marinas to much larger ports and harbours, the nature of the Ports industry can be one of constant movement, large-scale machinery, and potentially dangerous work environments if skilled and experienced personnel are not present. 

It is also an area subject to various codes and legislation, including the Port Marine Safety Code here within the UK. Richard Ballantyne, British Ports Association Chief Executive, notes of the Port Marine Safety Code:

“The Port Marine Safety Code has evolved into a vital resource and compliance demonstrates a port’s ability to limit and control their operational safety risks. As well as allowing operators to assess and manage safety arrangements, the PMSC and the three yearly Compliance Exercise provides the government with the knowledge that individual ports and marine facilities are being managed responsibly and competently.”

Similar codes will be present and enacted across other countries but with the same aim; to create as safe a working environment as possible. 

Compliance Management within Ports and Harbours

There are various facets of compliance management within this sector. At IEB Software we primarily work with Ports & Harbours to provide compliance management software that specifically helps them address health and safety concerns. 

Health & Safety Protocol

As you’ll see via this link to the UK Health and Safety Executive, there are a multitude of concerns and considerations within this context. Workplace transport, confined spaces, slips and trips, vessel access and more all come in to play here. 

A robust compliance management system will help those responsible for managing the various safety checks and certificates and maintenance activity that is required to maintain and prove a safe working environment.

Other Compliance Considerations

Other compliance-based considerations within a Ports and Harbours environment would generally include areas such as cargo-handling, passenger management, environmental regulation, employee management and so on.

If you already operate within a compliance management capacity in this sector, you’ll know just how detailed the demands can be, with many moving parts throughout. 

Our Asset & Compliance Management Platform “AssetHQ” is in operation within various Ports and Harbours, helping them manage safety compliance requirements in an efficient and manageable way. Click here if you’d like to find out more about AssetHQ or to discuss setting up your free trial you can contact our team to do so here.

We hope this helps give a little more information on how AssetHQ can help with compliance management in a Ports and Harbours context.