While progress has been made to improve vessel design and technology, the safe operation of a ship and a successful voyage still ultimately depend on the people onboard. A growing body of research indicates that crew wellbeing is not only a welfare issue but also a business risk factor. Fatigue, stress, excessive workloads, inadequate rest hours and poor living conditions can negatively impact decision-making and situational awareness and increase the likelihood of errors. Since these errors contribute to a significant number of marine casualties, improving crew wellbeing can have a positive impact on the frequency and severity of incidents onboard.
For H&M insurers, this is not simply about promoting good employment practices. It is about better understanding factors which influence risk. A well-supported, adequately rested and motivated crew is more likely to operate a vessel safely, identify hazards before they get out of control and respond effectively when incidents happen. In other words, better crew wellbeing can contribute to fewer losses, reduced claims and improve insureds’ risk profiles.
This checklist has been developed by IUMI members to support H&M insurers in incorporating crew wellbeing considerations into their underwriting, risk assessment, risk engineering and modelling as well as claims handling. It provides practical questions and indicators which help identify whether an operator places sufficient emphasis on the wellbeing of their seafarers. It is completed ashore by the broker or assured’s insurance manager rather than by the crew onboard.
H&M insurers using the checklist are invited to make their own assessments if or how to prioritize or mandate any of the questions. The document is intended as a practical tool to assist them in including crew wellbeing as a risk factor across their insurance operations. How the checklist results are measured or compared is at the discretion of each user. The document is relevant for crew sailing on any vessel type, though some regulations may not be applicable to all ships. If the checklist is applied regularly during annual renewal discussions, insurers can track developments over time, identify trends and compare changes in crew wellbeing practices as part of their risk assessment.
Greater consideration of crew wellbeing can support insurers to gain a more comprehensive approach to risk assessment which recognises that safer ships are not built solely through engineering and technology, but also through healthy, well-trained and well-supported crews.
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