EH&S Policy

Seaward Services is committed to protecting the environment and the health and safety of our employees, our customers and the facilities where we operate. Meeting this commitment is a primary objective of management and is the individual and collective responsibility of Seaward Services employees nationwide.

The Seaward Services is dedicated to operating in accordance with the highest possible standards with respect to:

The principal purpose of the company quality management plan (qmp) is to assure that a consistently acceptable level of service and quality assurance is provided. we employ a qmp so as to assure full compliance with contractual requirements as well as any federal and state regulations where applicable.

• Assuring safe maritime operations, both afloat and ashore;
• Avoiding damage to and minimizing impact upon the environment;
• Avoiding damage to the property of others;
• Protecting and enhancing the health, safety and welfare of its employees, its customers, and others affected by its activities.

The key elements of Seaward Services’ QMP are:

Policy and Objectives

Senior management defines the company policy and objectives with respect to safety, protection of the environment, level of service and contract compliance. Management’s intentions are conveyed to personnel ashore and afloat, and they must be understood and implemented.

The Individual

ALL personnel, from company President to Administrative Assistant and from Master to Ordinary Seaman, who play a role in the management system must:

• know their responsibility and authority;
• have the requisite qualifications, licenses and certificates for the position they are assigned;
• understand where they fit into the organization;
• know who they report to and for what purposes;
• have skills and knowledge to do their jobs and have the necessary resources available to do so.

Plans, Procedures and Instructions

The company must ensure that all situations, operations, activities and work tasks, both ashore and afloat, which impact safety, environmental protection and quality of service, are planned, controlled and verified in accordance with legislative and company requirements.

Prevention of Hazards

The company must ensure that all activities that may adversely affect safety, the environment or the services it provides are identified, and measures are taken to prevent the hazardous condition, control it or minimize its effects.

Management Review

The company must periodically evaluate the efficiency, suitability and effectiveness of their Safety Management System, and modify the System to meet current requirements.
Seaward Services’ Quality Management System is an effective and economical program, planned and developed to support and compliment the company’s other administrative and technical programs. The program will assure quality throughout all areas of contract performance and provides for the prevention and early detection of discrepancies, and for positive and timely corrective action.

Seaward Services will make objective evidence of quality conformance available to the sponsor’s assigned COR upon request. The authority and responsibility of Seaward Services employees in charge of contract performance, review, testing and inspection of quality will be clearly stated to the COR. Seaward Services’ program includes an effective control of reimbursable materials purchased as well as subcontracted work.

Seaward Services’ Quality System process is a method whereby its actual contract performance (documented through both internal and external audits) is compared to standards for quality contract performance established as policy by the organization’s top management. On a routine basis, a Quality Assurance Manager reviews instances of contract non-conformance to assess the organization’s plans for correcting any non-conformity.

The top-level general standards are known as Quality Requirements. Supporting these requirements are specific Quality Goals. Supporting these goals are explicit Quality Objectives that are based on specific provisions of the contract. Seaward Services will establish a Quality Management System for each contract that will have as its objective quality performance on the part of the program organization in order to fulfill all requirements expressed in the contract. Seaward Services has developed four Quality Requirements and twenty-two Goals to provide quality services and administrative/logistic support. Detailed objectives supporting the twenty-two identified goals will be established and coordinated between the Quality Assurance Manager and Program Manager during the transition phase. The four Quality Requirements and twenty-two Quality Goals are listed below.

Quality Requirements

• Safety – To ensure the safe conduct of personnel performance and mission equipment.
• Operational Readiness – To provide maximum vessel availability for mission operations at a minimum cost.
• Material Readiness – To maintain vessels at a high level of material readiness, prolonging the life of each boat at the most economical cost.
• Inventory and Property Control – To maintain the highest degree of financial accountability and control of program inventory.

Quality Goals

Safety

• Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety
• Safety Status
• Safety Awareness

Maintenance and Repair Quality Maintenance Plan

• Regulatory requirements
• Environmental protection and enhancement (including HAZMAT)
• Preventive maintenance
• Reporting of casualties: Personnel
• Corrective Maintenance and repair
• Qualifications and performance
• Cleanliness and preservation
• Drugs and alcohol: Material Support
• Industrial and technical assistance
• General material support
• Configuration management
• Property control
• Technical documentation

Quality System Description

Quality Organization Seaward Services’ Corporate Quality System Manager will develop a Quality System Plan for the program organization and will support its implementation and continued use throughout the contract period. Once the Project Manager has approved the plan, Seaward Services’ Quality System Manager will work closely with the Master and Chief Engineer to implement the plan and to ensure compliance with plan requirements.

The Quality Assurance Manager will manage a program of internal audits (inspections and surveys) providing reports of contract nonconformance to the Program Manager. Seaward Services’ Quality System Manager will manage the program of external audits (inspections and surveys), providing reports of contract nonconformance to the Seaward Services top management group.

Quality System Elements

Elements of the marine program organization’s Quality System are listed as follows. These elements relate directly to contract performance requirements:

• Operate all shipboard machinery systems to support sponsor mission requirements
• Provide linen and self-service laundry facilities
• Maintain the material condition of the ship
• Provide qualified & experienced personnel
• Maintain standards of personal appearance
• Implement damage control, safety and training programs
• Maintain mission-related deck and engineering equipment
• Establish and maintain vessel physical security program
• Manage Industrial Assistance
• Provide administrative services; maintain/submit reports, logs and records in a timely manner
• Establish/Maintain property control system
• Monitor environmental & occupational health of embarked personnel
• Maintain equipment inventory and configuration changes
• Establish / maintain a chemical testing program as required
• Provide sanitation services
• Establish/maintain a quality assurance program

Quality System Procedures

• System Phase-in – The system will be phased-in during the first three months of the contract.
• Internal Audits, Inspections and Surveys – Each week the Project Manager will develop a schedule of internal audits (inspections and surveys) to be conducted.
  The objective of the internal audit program is to self-assess the service operational support; maintenance and repair support, administrative and logistic support. Seaward Services will develop goals and objectives relating to the execution of operational policies and procedures and the implementation of administrative policies procedures and instructions for the program. These will be included in the Standard Operating/Administrative Procedures Manual (SOP). Internal audits will be conducted to observe conditions (the status) of a particular task area, these observations will be compared with required conditions (goal and/or objective) contained in the SOP followed by a narrative comment concerning the observation. Seaward Services has developed initial goals and objective for the areas of personnel, maintenance and repair, operations, material support and safety. The remaining goals and objectives will be developed during the transition period.
• External Audits – The Seaward Services Quality System Manager, the President/CEO or the Chief Financial Officer, will conduct a self-audit of selected areas of Seaward Services contract performance, at both the corporate and program organization levels, on at least a quarterly basis.

In particular, they will inspect those areas for which non-conformities may have been identified on a repetitive basis, to determine whether company plans for meeting contract performance requirements are effective. Also included in the external audit program will be reports on program organization contract performance developed by EPA, such as reports issued by the Contracting Officer, Ordering Officer or COR. Results of the external audits will be the subject of discussion between the Seaward Services President/CEO and the Project Manager to identify those issues that require improved performance on the part of the program organization.

Certification Under The ISM Code

Seaward Services has been audited and certified by the American Bureau of Shipping as being fully compliant with the ISM Code. The objectives of Seaward Services with respect to this certification are as follows.

• To comply with the guidelines of the ISM Code and standards as recommended and adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
• To comply with the mandatory rules and regulations.
• To provide for safe practices in vessel operation and a safe working environment, which protect the life and health of its employees, government and contract scientists and the general public.
• To operate in an environmentally friendly manner.
• To establish safeguards against identifiable risks.
• To protect public property.
• To continuously improve the safety management skills of personnel ashore and aboard company vessels, including preparation for emergencies that are related to both safety and environmental protection.
• To take into consideration the codes, guidelines and standards recommended by the IMO, classification societies (ABS) and governmental organizations.
• To fulfill these objectives, company management and its employees are committed to the following approach:
  • We will operate government-owned vessels in a manner that protects the marine environment, and the life and health of our fellow shipmates (contractor and government personnel) and the general public.
  • We will be sensitive and responsive to public concerns about the marine industry and the possible effects it can have on the environment.
  • We will work in a partnership with the government, logistical agents and vendors to enhance the safe transportation by water of personnel and equipment.
  • We will be ever vigilant when it comes to managing emissions, wastes and spills, and comply with all federal, state and local regulations.
  • We will assist authorities and regulatory bodies in the formulation of laws, regulations and standards to safeguard the workplace, the community and the environment.
  • We will establish and maintain contingency procedures and plans to mitigate, in cooperation with public authority and others, the effects of any accidents that may occur.
  • We fully recognize that safety depends on the training and judgment of the individual employee, who must use his/her knowledge, skills and abilities to carry out his/her assigned duties.
  • Due to the dynamic nature of our SMS, we will keep the COR and CO advised whenever we make changes to, or update, our SMS, and we will invite government representatives to our external SMS audits.