-Terms of Reference/Scoping Document-
Subject: Safety in Dredging
Working Group (WG) Goals:
- Provide a comprehensive overview of relevant information about all things related to Safety in Dredging, specifically on how safety is perceived, applied and managed in different sectors of the dredging community, by not just dredgers, in different parts of the world and during different project phases (from planning and preparation to mobilization to operations to demobilization).
The WG will use the following definition of safety for their work: “Safety in the sense of protection from danger, risk, injury, or damage for humans, structures, and equipment.”
It will therefore mainly focus on Safety in Dredging Operations while not excluding other aspects of safety such as equipment safety, environmental safety or environmental protection, financial safety or stability, political safety and risk, risks to public image, etc.
- Demonstrate and emphasize the importance of safety in dredging operations throughout WODA organizations across the globe.
The intent of the WG is not to have its product(s)/deliverable(s) become official guidance or worldwide norms for safety, or to become the defining/official industry standard on safety in dredging.
The WG will however encourage adoption of common safety practices and norms, best management practices, etc. as applicable. The WG will focus on different approaches, effectiveness, and active management of safety systems with the ultimate goal of welcoming any organization to use its deliverables to enhance safety and develop broader safety morns and/or standards.
The WG will not try to impose rules or regulations but rather share perspectives and information, raise awareness, and facilitate collaboration between safety and operations professionals in the worldwide dredging community by establishing joint and common understanding and interest in and a framework for sharing and learning from each other.
- Allow readers/users of the information to learn from others by assessing their own safety approach and systems, and by comparing those to what others have developed and are practicing. This may include discussion of ISM, ISO, and/or SoP manuals of different regions to understand and collate a generic safety approach in dredging.
Examples of areas to address by the Working Group and in its report(s):
- Safety philosophy and concepts
- Safety regulation frameworks
- Safety management systems
- Safety best management practices
- Safety in Client contracts
- Safety hazard identification and mitigation best practices
- Incident and injury tracking/follow-up
- Safety data collection, analysis, communication, lessons-learned, and adaptive management
- Worker health and safety
- Safety leadership, culture, and perception
- Other safety aspects specific to dredging, including, but not limited to:
- dredging equipment
- working on the water (working on dredges or auxiliary crafts)
- fill-site operations (reclamation or fill/stockpile operations)
- Safety assessment and gap analysis
Other items for the Working Group’s TOR
Organizational issues for this Working group, such as WG composition/membership, timeline/schedule, reporting, representation of WEDA/CEDA/EADA, etc. will be defined and directed by the WODA Technical Paper Committee.
The WODA Technical Paper Committee is in the process of setting up several other WGs and will assure consistency in the approach amongst those Working Groups.
The WODA Working Group on Safety in Dredging will be led by an Executive Committee, which will also serve as the main conduit for coordination with the WODA Technical Paper Committee.
WODA Working Group on Safety in Dredging, Executive Committee:
- Ms. Julie Hile
- Ms. Erin Jensen
- Mr. Wei Gao
- Mr. Robert Ramsdell
- Mr. Hilko Timmer
- Mr. George Yesu Vedha Victor
The Executive Committee will seek to expand the Working Group by inviting/selecting members based on the further scoping of the work, so that the general profiles and backgrounds of the WG members can best help fulfill the needs of the WG.
Members will be selected based on their specific expertise and interest, where a balanced representation will also be sought from the CEDA, EADA, WEDA member organizations and regions.
Dissemination and platforms to share WG product
Instead of beginning with a traditional written report, the WG will focus on building a detailed “Dredging Safety Considerations” checklist. This checklist will include the sample topic areas discussed above, plus any others the WG deems necessary.
The WG will use the checklist as a type of “Table of Contents” to further develop subsequent chapters for their work product. Each topic will be designated its own timeline and subcommittee of Subject Matter Experts (likely including contractors, consultants, regulators/government, university/research, shipbuilders, etc.) from CEDA, EADA, and WEDA member organizations and regions to steward its completion.
The Executive Committee will then review and recommend for WODA publication individual topics as they are ready.
The intent behind this approach is to have various work products ready every couple of months that will be combined into one final work product once all subjects have been adequately covered.
Eventual roll-out or “launch” could be supplemented with:
- workshops
- webinars
- paper
- database
- presentations