Who Should Write Your Safety Management System (SMS)?

If you work with procedures or management systems in any industry, you will hopefully find this article relevant.

Introduction

The ideas in this article apply to most high-reliability organizations, not just shipping. While the examples come from maritime safety management, the same principles work across industries. We have applied them in hospitals, rail, oil and gas, insurance, and government. Even in highly specialized fields, like legal teams writing complex internal guidance on international sanctions, these methods improve clarity and compliance.

A recent LinkedIn poll asked who should write the Safety Management Systems (SMSs) in shipping companies. An overwhelming 91% of participants answered that seafarers should write SMSs for seafarers. Only 9% chose consultants. This poll was not perfect—but it made a point.

Two Answer Options: A Clearer Picture, Not the Full Picture

Why did we limit the poll to two options? We could have included more, but few companies have skilled procedure designers with in-company seafaring experience. In reality, companies must choose between these two extremes. Capturing every combination could have led to answers that rarely exist. We aimed to reflect real-world decisions, not unrealistic ideals.

At the same time, these two choices also mark the endpoints of a broader range of possibilities. In any case, old SMSs often relied too much on consultants and not enough on seafarers. This is the key takeaway from the poll, but there is more to it.

This article shares 16 years of research bridging the gap between consultants with writing skills and seafarers, who are the experts in the field.

16 years ago, Lovoy introduced SMS simplification in the maritime industry. We saw the need for simpler SMSs to reduce complexity and improve compliance. More than 1,000 seafarers echoed this need. They wanted SMSs written by their own seafarers, for their own seafarers. This older article gives more background on the overly complicated SMS problem.

Our method was new and controversial. Through testing and refinement, we proved that trained seafarers write the best SMSs. This article takes you through that journey.

The Initial Dilemma: External Consultants vs. Seafarers

When we started, we did not know the best way to write SMSs. We had two choices. We could use external consultants or rely on seafarers. We explored both options with no bias.

The Shortcomings of External Consultants

We soon saw that neither option was ideal. External consultants, even with some seafaring background, often did not understand the company’s operations, equipment, and cargo. Their broad knowledge helped, but it was not enough to make SMSs that fit each company’s needs. This led to consultants needing constant input from seafarers, making the process slow and costly.

The Challenges of Relying on Skilled Writers

We saw that relying on a skilled writer who did not know the operations caused unnecessary complexity. Seafarers, as subject matter experts, knew the company’s work well. However, the more recent the seafarer's background, the better. While it was possible for a shipping company to use someone working in the office who had seafaring experience from years ago,

we found that the most efficient approach was to use seafarers who were still active sailors or who had just come off active duty.

They knew the most current equipment and procedures best.

The Breakthrough: Empowering Seafarers to Write SMSs

Through research and testing, we found the best solution was to train seafarers to write SMSs.

We knew seafarers, who are often non-native English speakers, needed a clear method.

The method would help them write practical, easy-to-understand SMSs. This is where the Lovoy Method came in.

The Lovoy Method: Controlled Language for Clear Communication

The Lovoy Method uses controlled language. It is based on simple rules for grammar, vocabulary, structure, and layout. This method helps seafarers make SMSs clear without missing important facts. It works for both native and non-native English speakers. It also uses text washing and spaghetti SMS structure untangling. These techniques helped seafarers remove unnecessary complexity. They reorganized SMSs that were hard to follow. By using these techniques, companies made SMSs simpler. The SMSs were better suited to the seafarers' workflows.

Methodology-Based Training for Quick Results

What made it all work was the training. It was based on a method, not experience. This made it possible to train seafarers quickly. They could write good SMSs in a short time. They did not need years of writing experience. Instead, they learned to make SMSs clear, easy to follow, and practical. They also removed unnecessary complexity and fixed the messy structure of old SMSs.

Real-World Impact: Better SMSs and Increased Clarity

Using this method, companies trained their seafarers to adopt these principles. The result was SMSs that were shorter, easier to use, and more aligned with real operations. Feedback from both seafarers and auditors showed a big improvement in clarity and effectiveness.

Meeting Industry Standards with Simplified SMSs

This method also met the requirements of inspection standards like TMSA 3, SIRE 2.0, DryBMS, and RightShip. These standards stress the need for clear, simple language. By simplifying the SMS content, companies achieved two goals: they made the SMSs easier to use and ensured better compliance with industry standards.

What If Active Seafarers Are Not Available?

What should you do when your active seafarers are on duty or home on leave? Are there alternatives to using seafarers to write SMSs that cover onboard operations?

We identified the following alternatives in preferred order:

1. Active Seafarers: Active seafarers are the ideal choice. They understand the latest operational knowledge and onboard procedures.
2. Internal Office Staff with Former Seafaring Experience: If active seafarers are unavailable, internal office staff with recent seafaring experience are an alternative. They can write SMSs effectively, though the process may take more time.
3. Internal Office Staff without Former Seafaring Experience: These staff members are the best choice for writing shore-side administrative procedures.
4. External Consultant Writers: Quality is not a quick fix. It requires a permanent system with internal writers who avoid reintroducing complexity. External consultant writers may offer short-term help but will not establish a permanent internal system.
5. Ready-Made, Off-the-Shelf SMSs: Avoid these generic solutions. They do not fit your company’s unique operations and can lead to compliance issues or unnecessary complexity.

Active seafarers are the best choice for writing SMSs that reflect onboard operations. If they are unavailable, the next best option is office staff with recent seafaring experience, as long as they stay involved with current ship operations.

What is Lovoy’s Role?

Lovoy is a research and development company that focuses on making SMSs user-friendly, risk-based, and compliant. We collaborate with P&I marine insurance, classification societies, industry organizations, governments, and shipping companies of all sizes globally. Our funding comes from the companies that benefit from the research and simplification of their SMSs. Lovoy trains and supports companies that want to use their internal staff to improve their SMSs. Industry inspectors recognize the Lovoy Method as a mark of excellence. This recognition is due to our policy of partnering only with companies committed to quality.

References:

More information about the Lovoy Method: https://lovoy.info/

Improved perceived usability: Case study video

Method used in other industries: Medical research paper