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Marine Emergency Procedures and Survival Craft Risk Assessment

Marine Emergency Procedures and Survival Craft Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
  • • Pre-filled Content – Ready to Deploy Immediately
  • • Customisable – Easily Add Your Logo & Site Details
  • • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

Marine Emergency Procedures and Survival Craft Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with Marine Emergency Procedures and Survival Craft through a structured, management-level WHS Risk Management approach that focuses on planning, systems and governance. This Risk Assessment supports compliance with the WHS Act, maritime safety obligations and international conventions while helping protect your business from enforcement action, reputational damage and operational liability.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • Governance, WHS Duties and Legislative Compliance: Assessment of PCBU and officer due diligence, integration of WHS duties with maritime safety law, and alignment of emergency arrangements with flag state and port state requirements.
  • Emergency Preparedness, Planning and Procedures: Management of shipboard emergency plans, muster lists, emergency response organisation, and the interface between SMS, WHS systems and marine contingency plans.
  • Training, Competence and Verification of Skills: Evaluation of crew qualifications, STCW training, familiarisation programs, competency assessment, and ongoing verification of emergency response skills.
  • Vessel, Survival Craft and Equipment Design & Procurement: Assessment of design suitability, equipment selection, ergonomic and access issues, and procurement controls for survival craft and associated marine emergency systems.
  • Inspection, Testing, Maintenance and Certification Systems: Management of inspection regimes, planned maintenance systems, third-party servicing, certification, and defect rectification for survival craft and emergency equipment.
  • Emergency Drills, Exercises and Continuous Improvement: Protocols for scheduling and conducting realistic drills, post-drill debriefs, performance monitoring, and corrective actions to drive continual improvement.
  • Man Overboard Response Systems and Procedures: Assessment of MOB detection, recovery arrangements, rescue plans, and coordination with bridge, deck crew and fast rescue boat operations.
  • Fast Rescue Boat Operations Management: Management of FRB launch and recovery systems, coxswain competence, environmental and operational limitations, and integration with broader search and rescue plans.
  • Liferaft, Davit-Launched Liferaft and Lifeboat Launching Systems: Evaluation of launching arrangements, load and stability considerations, crew access, fall prevention, and emergency release protocols.
  • Use and Management of Distress Signals and Communications: Assessment of GMDSS equipment, EPIRBs, SARTs, pyrotechnics, and communication protocols with RCCs, port authorities and nearby vessels.
  • Management of Personal Life-Saving Appliances (PLSAs): Controls for selection, issue, inspection and use of lifejackets, immersion suits, PPE and other personal survival equipment.
  • Fatigue, Workload and Human Factors in Emergencies: Management of crewing levels, hours of work and rest, cognitive load under stress, and human error risks in emergency decision-making.
  • Interface with Ports, Shore Facilities and Other Vessels: Protocols for coordinating emergency response with terminals, tugs, pilotage, shore-based emergency services and other ships.
  • Documentation, Records and Audit of Marine Emergency Systems: Systems for document control, record keeping, internal audit, incident investigation and board-level reporting on emergency readiness.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for vessel Owners, Operators, Masters, Safety Managers and Designated Persons Ashore (DPA) responsible for planning, governing and auditing marine emergency procedures and survival craft systems across their fleet or operation.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. Governance, WHS Duties and Legislative Compliance
  • • Lack of clear allocation of WHS and maritime safety duties for survival craft and emergency procedures
  • • Inadequate integration of WHS Act 2011, Marine Orders and SOLAS/ISM Code into company policies
  • • Failure to consult workers and HSRs on emergency and survival craft risk controls
  • • Insufficient due diligence by officers in monitoring emergency preparedness systems
  • • Inadequate contractor and third‑party governance for external training providers and vessel operators
  • • No systematic review of regulatory updates affecting marine emergency procedures and survival craft
2. Emergency Preparedness, Planning and Procedures
  • • Absence of a documented emergency response plan covering all survival craft and marine emergency scenarios
  • • Inconsistent or outdated shipboard emergency instructions and muster lists
  • • Emergency procedures not tailored to specific vessels, routes, sea states and operating environments
  • • Poor coordination between bridge, engineering, deck crew and emergency teams during incidents
  • • Failure to plan for simultaneous emergencies (e.g. fire plus man overboard plus loss of power)
  • • Inadequate planning for persons with disabilities, non‑English speakers or inexperienced passengers
  • • Lack of clear escalation criteria for activating distress signals and survival craft
3. Training, Competence and Verification of Skills
  • • Crew operating survival craft without appropriate qualifications or competency sign‑off
  • • Reliance on outdated or purely theoretical training not reflecting current equipment and procedures
  • • Insufficient practical training in fast rescue boat handling and recovery in adverse conditions
  • • Lack of competency in inflatable liferaft launching, loading and righting techniques
  • • Inadequate training for crew in man overboard response, search patterns and recovery methods
  • • No formal assessment or refresher schedule leading to skills fade and inconsistent practices
  • • Poor understanding of distress signal use, limitations and misfire procedures
  • • Inadequate instruction for use, inspection and limitations of personal life‑saving appliances
4. Vessel, Survival Craft and Equipment Design & Procurement
  • • Procurement of vessels or survival craft that do not meet applicable Australian or international standards
  • • Design of lifeboats, liferafts and fast rescue boats that limits safe access, egress or casualty handling
  • • Incompatible davits, winches or cradles for the selected liferafts, lifeboats and fast rescue boats
  • • Insufficient capacity or number of survival craft for maximum persons on board plus contingency
  • • Poor ergonomic layout around embarkation stations causing congestion and trip hazards
  • • Inadequate provision of emergency lighting, communications and navigation aids in survival craft
  • • Inappropriate or non‑marine‑grade personal life‑saving appliances purchased for crew or passengers
5. Inspection, Testing, Maintenance and Certification Systems
  • • Lack of scheduled inspection and maintenance for lifeboats, fast rescue boats and liferafts
  • • Failure to comply with manufacturer’s instructions for davit, winch and release gear maintenance
  • • Overdue or missed statutory surveys, load tests and recertification of survival craft and launching appliances
  • • Undetected deterioration of inflatable liferafts, painter lines, hydrostatic releases and securing arrangements
  • • Inadequate control of defects, leading to survival craft being left in service while unseaworthy
  • • Unreliable operation of distress signals, EPIRBs, SARTs and emergency lighting due to battery expiry or corrosion
  • • Poor recordkeeping that prevents verification of maintenance history and compliance
6. Emergency Drills, Exercises and Continuous Improvement
  • • Irregular or poorly planned emergency drills that do not cover realistic scenarios
  • • Drills limited to paperwork or walk‑throughs without practical survival craft deployment where safe to do so
  • • Lack of variation in drills, leading to complacency and poor preparedness for non‑routine scenarios
  • • No formal process to debrief, capture lessons learned or revise procedures after drills or incidents
  • • Inadequate practice in the use of distress signals and personal life‑saving appliances during exercises
  • • Crew anxiety or unsafe behaviour during drills due to poor preparation and unclear expectations
7. Man Overboard Response Systems and Procedures
  • • Delayed detection and reporting of a person falling overboard
  • • Lack of standardised man overboard alarm, communication and search procedures
  • • Inadequate systems for night‑time or poor visibility detection and location (e.g. no suitable lights, markers or AIS beacons)
  • • Uncoordinated manoeuvring and recovery attempts creating collision or propeller strike risks
  • • Insufficient equipment for safe recovery of unconscious or hypothermic casualties
  • • Failure to integrate fast rescue boat deployment into a coherent man overboard response framework
8. Fast Rescue Boat Operations Management
  • • Fast rescue boat launched in unsafe weather, sea or visibility conditions due to unclear decision criteria
  • • Insufficient crew assigned or inadequately trained to operate the fast rescue boat and manage casualties
  • • Failure of launching and recovery systems under load due to poor procedures or inadequate maintenance
  • • Lack of formal risk assessment for high‑speed operations close to casualty vessel or in congested waters
  • • Inadequate communication systems between fast rescue boat, mother vessel and shore‑based responders
  • • Poor management of fuel, spares, emergency gear and stability of the fast rescue boat
9. Liferaft, Davit-Launched Liferaft and Lifeboat Launching Systems
  • • Complex or poorly documented procedures for lowering and hoisting davit‑launched liferafts and lifeboats
  • • Risk of unintentional release or hook failure during loading or lowering
  • • Crew unfamiliarity with manual release, emergency lowering or on‑load/off‑load release mechanisms
  • • Inadequate control measures for launching survival craft in heavy weather or with vessel list/trim
  • • Congestion or obstruction at embarkation stations impeding safe boarding and load distribution
  • • Failure to consider interaction between vessel movement, davit swing and wharf/sea hazards
10. Use and Management of Distress Signals and Communications
  • • Inappropriate or delayed activation of distress signals, EPIRBs or SARTs during emergencies
  • • Accidental activation or misuse of pyrotechnic signals causing fire, burns or false alarms
  • • Insufficient stock or expired distress signals kept onboard
  • • Poorly defined communication hierarchy with shore‑based emergency services and SAR authorities
  • • Failure of primary communication systems during emergency without tested backup options
  • • Lack of crew understanding of GMDSS procedures and priorities in multi‑vessel incidents
11. Management of Personal Life-Saving Appliances (PLSAs)
  • • Insufficient number or incorrect sizing of lifejackets and immersion suits for all persons on board
  • • Inadequate systems to ensure correct donning and secure fit of PLSAs in an emergency
  • • PLSAs stored in inaccessible or poorly signposted locations, especially in passenger areas
  • • Degradation of buoyancy, lights and reflective materials due to age, UV exposure or poor storage
  • • Incorrect allocation or maintenance of personal locator beacons or AIS devices
  • • Failure to consider specific needs of children, infants or mobility‑impaired persons in PLSA provision
12. Fatigue, Workload and Human Factors in Emergencies
  • • Crew fatigue from long voyages, disrupted sleep or excessive overtime impacting emergency performance
  • • Stress, panic and cognitive overload during actual emergencies reducing adherence to procedures
  • • Poor ergonomic design of control stations and survival craft equipment leading to operational errors
  • • Language barriers or cultural differences affecting understanding of emergency commands and signage
  • • Inadequate staffing levels or skill mix to manage concurrent emergency tasks (firefighting, evacuation, survival craft launch)
  • • Informal shortcuts or risk‑taking behaviours becoming accepted practice during drills and operations
13. Interface with Ports, Shore Facilities and Other Vessels
  • • Lack of coordination with port authorities and shore emergency services for evacuation and rescue
  • • Incompatible emergency arrangements between vessel and terminal (e.g. gangway, muster points, access for rescue craft)
  • • Congestion and collision risk when deploying survival craft in busy port or anchorage areas
  • • Poor communication protocols with other vessels assisting in emergencies
  • • Inadequate planning for transfer of survivors from survival craft to shore facilities or other ships
  • • Failure to consider restrictions imposed by port regulations on pyrotechnic use or fast rescue boat deployment
14. Documentation, Records and Audit of Marine Emergency Systems
  • • Incomplete or inaccurate documentation of emergency procedures and survival craft arrangements
  • • Lost or inaccessible records for training, drills, maintenance and certifications
  • • Lack of systematic internal audits of emergency preparedness and survival craft systems
  • • Inability to demonstrate compliance to regulators, insurers or clients after an incident
  • • Failure to track corrective actions from incidents, inspections and audits to completion

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

Don't worry if a specific hazard isn't listed above. Once you purchase, simply log in to your Client Portal and add your own custom hazards at no extra cost. We take care of the hard work—creating the risk ratings and control measures for free—to ensure your document is compliant within minutes.

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines
  • International Safety Management (ISM) Code: International standard for the safe management and operation of ships and for pollution prevention.
  • STCW Convention and Code: International standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers, including emergency duties.
  • Marine Orders (Australian Maritime Safety Authority): Series of orders governing vessel safety management systems, emergency preparedness and life-saving appliances.
  • International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS): Requirements for life-saving appliances, emergency procedures and survival craft.
  • AS/NZS 4801 / ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use.
  • AS 2415: Requirements for buoyancy aids and lifejackets (where applicable to PLSAs and marine operations).
  • National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV): Australian standard for design, construction, equipment and operation of commercial vessels, including emergency and survival arrangements.
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

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