What is BRM?
- Bridge resource management [BRM] was adopted in the 1990’s by the maritime industry as a safety and error management tool.
- BRM is the effective management and utilization of all resources including equipment, information, and manpower, available to the bridge team, so as to ensure safe completion of the voyage.
- By using all available information and assistance it ensures that navigators take the best possible decisions, and that those inevitable human mistakes are captured and mitigated before they can cause any harm.
- BRM reduces the risk of marine casualties by helping a ship’s bridge crew anticipate and correctly respond to their ship’s changing situation.
- It will thus ensure safer and more efficient operations by blending technical skills and manpower.
- BRM also requires the organization and management of operational tasks on board while also satisfying international and local regulatory requirements.
- The many elements of job effectiveness and safety, such as individual, organizational, and regulatory factors must be anticipated and planned for.
- BRM begins before the voyage with the passage plan and continues through to the end of the voyage with the passage debriefing.
- For this reason, Masters’ standing orders require him/her to be called at the earliest indication of a problem, to help strengthen the team.
- Among the many resources available to the navigator are charts, publications, the passage plan, and electronic aids like radar, ECDIS, AIS, GPS, navtex, communications RADIO, etc.
- Other resources are look-outs, additional navigating officers and engineers, the Master, pilot, VTS, and even the environmental factors like current, tides, winds, etc.
BRM includes several elements necessary to ensure safe and efficient operation at all times. Among these, the most important are:
- Good communication – between all team members
- Teamwork – working together as a single well-oiled machine
- Decision making – pooling knowledge and experience prior to taking a decision
- Situational awareness – being fully aware of all that is going on, in and around the ship
- Fatigue – well-rested and fit for the job
- Qualification and experience – knowledgeable and familiar with the job
- Shares a common goal [the intended passage and the agreed transit procedures].
- To comply with the company's SMS and Master's standing orders.
- To comply with international and local regulations.
- Develops and uses a passage plan that anticipates and manages workload demands and risks.
- Set appropriate manning levels and makes contingency plans based on anticipated workload and risks.
- Makes roles and responsibilities clear to all Bridge Team members.
- Involves all members in problem solving.
- Acquires all relevant information early and anticipates dangerous situations.
- To impart the training as required and to improve the standards of watch keeping.
- Team member clearly understands the chain of command including the way decisions and instructions are made, challenged, and responded to.
The Master can implement BRM by considering and addressing the following:
- Passage Planning – covering ocean, coastal, and pilotage waters. Particular attention is paid to high traffic areas, shallow waters, or pilotage waters where the plan incorporates appropriate margins of safety and contingency plans for unexpected incidents.
- Passage Plan Briefing - all bridge team members are briefed on the passage plan and understand the intended route and procedures to transit the route.
- Bridge Manning – Master uses passage plan to anticipate areas of high workload and risk and sets manning levels appropriately.
- Bridge Team Training (ashore and on-the-job) - is given all bridge crew members and they are sure of their roles and responsibilities, both for their routine duties and their duties in the event of an incident/emergency.
- Master’s Standing Orders – are read and signed before the commencement of the voyage. Orders are clear on the chain of command, how decisions and instructions are given on the bridge and responded to, and how bridge team members bring safety concerns to the notice of the Master.
- Master/Pilot Exchange – the passage plan is discussed by the Master and the pilot and changes made as necessary. Any new information is communicated to the rest of the bridge team. When the pilot is onboard he/she should be supported as a temporary bridge team member.
- End of Voyage Debriefing – provides the opportunity for the bridge team to review the passage plan’s strengths and weaknesses, make suggestions for improved safety or communications, and improve team problem solving skills.
- Maintains its situational awareness
- Continually monitors the progress of the vessel making appropriate adjustments and corrections as necessary to maintain a safe passage
- Acquires relevant information early
- Appropriately delegates workload and authority
- Anticipates dangerous situations.
- Avoids becoming pre-occupied with minor technical problems and losing sight of the larger picture.
- Decides on met warnings / navigational warnings applicable to own vessel.
- Follows appropriate contingency plans when the situation demands
- Recognizes the development of an error chain
- Takes appropriate action to break the error-chain sequence
- Debriefing can help in improvement of future passage plan and possible suggestions to improve SMS checklist / procedures.
- BRM tends to develop confidence in each individual.
Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal.
- Be able to influence members of the team to do what is required
- Be able to encourage teamwork and team spirit
- Have excellent communication skills
- Capable of taking decisions quickly and sticking to a plan
- Have excellent management skills
- Be the primary contributor to the team
- Make team members see and share his vision
- Never let ethics take a back seat to desired results
- Capable of motivating the team and getting the best out of them
- Take responsibility for the actions of the team
Assertiveness :
A good leader must be assertive by being able to stand up
for his/her own or other people's rights in a calm and positive way, without
being either aggressive, or passively accepting 'wrong’.
Assertive Behaviour:
- Assumes a confident voice & body language
- Takes responsibility
- Takes initiative
- Active listener
- Direct & constructive speech
- Shows sincerity
- Solution focused
- Requests needs
- Addresses concerns directly
Example:
“As I understand your point...”
Passive Behaviour:
- Soft voice
- No point of view agreeable
- Avoidance
- Withdrawn body language
- Sounds unsure
- Sounds hopeless/helpless
Example:
“I don’t know if I could do that...”
“I am sorry to ask you...”
“I hate to bother you...”
Aggressive Behaviour:
- Blaming & accusing others
- Demanding & ordering
- Raised voice
- Harsh personal language
Example:
“ You must...”
“Because I said so...”
“You always...”
- The effective transfer of information is a complex process.
- Information should be conveyed when needed, understood and acknowledged by the receiver and clarified if required.
- Often the required information exists but is not made available to those who need it at the right time.
- At other times, the message is either not received or is misunderstood. Inaccurate, incomplete, ambiguous or garbled messages may lead to disaster.
- A common language makes communication easier and quicker [hence the requirement for a ‘working language’ on board ships].
- Transfer of information between watches will ensure continuity of information and instruction.
- Each person must cross check and cross question.
- A closed loop form of communication will reduce the possibility of mistakes.
- Verbal communication should take priority over non-verbal signs.
- Unclear processes (not the same language, slang)
- Personal limitation (hearing problem)
- Human nature (people's ego, prejudices)
- Wrong Medium or Channels
- Poor Listening Skills
- Poor Verbal Skills
- Confusing the message
OPEN LOOP COMMUNICATION – order given and acknowledged but
not confirmed.
E.g. “go forward and prepare anchors”, acknowledged by
“roger, will do”. No further communication to indicate the action has been
carried out. Similarly a “thanks for your email”, does not confirm that the
receiver understood and/or responded to the instruction in the email.
CLOSED LOOP COMMUNICATION – order given, acknowledged by repetition of the order, followed by confirmation of the action.
E.g. “bosun, please prepare the gangway”, acknowledged by repetition “roger, prepare the gangway” and confirmed “gangway prepared and ready, sir”.
VERBAL COMMUNICATION – this is communication using words,
both spoken and written. It has the advantage of being clear, immediately
understood and is transmitted and received quickly. The parties need not be at
the same place or at the same time [by telephone, e-mail etc]. There is little
chance of it being misunderstood. It provides documentary evidence of
communication. People can easily express themselves, their thought and ideas.
This is the preferred method of communication in brm.
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION – this is communication based on the use of signs. A persons facial expression, the look in their eyes, the tone of voice, the volume and expression of speech, the movement of hands and feet, the posture and even the way they dress communicates their feelings and beliefs. It is not always clear and must be carefully interpreted. It is therefore slow and liable to be misunderstood. Parties must be face to face. There is no documentary evidence. It may sometimes contradict verbal communication yet it complements verbal communication and serves to indicate a person’s feelings, emotions, status and personality.
TEAMWORK :
- Good teamwork helps address challenges faced by crew members on a daily basis.
- It ensures that all crewmembers are involved in problem solving and are not just mere spectators.
- Team discussion help in refining BRM. A good team should be able to anticipate dangerous situations, recognize the development of an error chain and break the chain.
- Safe, effective handling of a vessel is not a one person job and to be fully effective, each member of the team should share a common view of the desired result.
- Challenge and response - every member should be encouraged to speak up when in doubt and his query should be addressed in a respectful manner so as not to make him feel small or insignificant. Where time is insufficient, this should be indicated and the response provided after the action is carried out.
- Every person has had different experiences and the lowliest member of a team may have knowledge or information of a particular situation or place that other members are lacking.
- All members of the team should therefore be encouraged to contribute of their experience and express reasonable doubt if any.
DECISION MAKING:
- This is a key skill in effective BRM. Though the master is the final authority on board the ship it is important that he/she takes valuable input from officers and crew members.
- Before taking any decision it is vital to gather relevant and pertinent information. A wrong decision taken can led to many unwanted situations on-board ships.
- It is therefore important to conduct regular meetings, interact with officers and crew members and take opinions that can help to produce a final choice from several available options and thus make a more deliberate and thoughtful decision.
- When Due to busy schedule and frequent port calls it is not possible to gather all the information available or to evaluate alternative solutions the decision taken is then based on past experiences.
- The master being the most experienced person on board is then regarded as the sole decision maker.
- Reviewing the consequences of the decision taken is an integral part of decision making and when required the decision should be subject to change for the better.
- Perceive what is happening.
- Understand what is happening.
- Use this to think ahead and prioritize accordingly.
- Ask for assistance if required.
- Figure out various options keeping all the dangers into consideration.
- Decision making including course and/or speed alteration.
- Take action and always check the effectiveness of the action.
This occurs over a period of time and will leave a trail of clues like :
- Confusion or gut feeling – something is wrong somewhere.
- No one watching or looking for hazards – careless attitude, not bothered.
- Use of improper procedures – short cuts, trial and error method of working.
- Departure from regulations – not following mandatory requirements.
- Failure to meet planned targets – not able to keep up, job completion is delayed.
- Unresolved discrepancies – information does not match expectations.
- Ambiguity in information received – information is confusing or unclear.
- Fixation or preoccupation – concentrating on one thing and neglecting other tasks.
- Passive / Complacent behaviour.
- Over reliance on a person, system or equipment.
- Fatigue, high work load.
- Lack of training, lack of familirization, lack of experience, lack of competency.
- lack of intrest, lack of motivation.
- lack of communication skills.
Fatigue also referred as tiredness, exhaustion, lethargy
& listlessness. It is a state of physical & mental tiredness. Although
physical and mental fatigue are different- the two often exists together. If a
person is physically exhausted for long he will be mentally tired as well.
Cause of Fatigue:
[A] Work related factors
- Unpredictable work and shipping schedules
- Intense concentration
- Temperature extremes
- Adverse weather
- Exposure to high risk situation
- Time of day when watch duty is performed
- Duration of work periods
- Length of break within & between
[B] Non-Work related
- Disturbance in one’s family/social life
- Financial difficulties/ domestic responsibilities
- Age/medical fitness
- Age related changes. For e.g hypertension, deterioration of visual perception, increased need for medication.
- Inability to concentrate
- Slow response
- Improper decision-making ability
- Poor Memory
- Loss of bodily control
- Mood change
- Attitude change
- Muscle weakness
- Proper sleep, rest.
- Inform master if you are feeling fatigue.
- Promote effective work load management.
- Exercise daily.
- Maintain proper diet.
MOTIVATION
Motivation is the word derived from the
word ’motive’ which means needs, desires, wants or drives within the
individuals. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish
the goals.
IMPORTANCE
OF MOTIVATION
- Puts human resources into action
- Improves level of efficiency of employees
- Leads to achievement of organizational goals
- Builds friendly relationship
- Leads to stability of work force
No comments:
Post a Comment