AUGUST 2017 • FOGHORN 35 SAFETYMATTERS that vessel member companies that ef- fectively implement PVAFlagship SMS will be recognized and considered by local Coast Guard inspection offices for reduced scope of inspections under the Coast Guard Risk Based Decision Making policy for small passenger vessels published in January 2017. CAPT Williams closed her letter by acknowledging the acceptance of the PVA Flagship SMS “…as an important first step in instilling a culture of safety industry wide, and I greatly value PVA’s partnership and commitment to achieving this common goal.” Moving Forward PVA staff and the user group of companies that have helped develop PVA’s Flagship SMS have worked to develop tools and training materials that have been presented at the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends over the past few years. Now that the Coast Guard has formally recognized Flagship, we will continue to develop additional tools to aid in implement- ing Flagship. Some of the materials currently available include: • PVA Flagship SMS • Company Pre Assessment Worksheet • Inspection Criteria Reference Sheets for Subchapters H, K and T • Sample Company Organizational Chart (Courtesy of SMS, LLC) • Bow-Tie Risk Assessment Tool (Courtesy of Blue and Gold Fleet) • Sample Internal Audit Form Work is ongoing on a sample manual that could be used by smaller companies to organize the elements of a safety management system into an easy to use format. Companies that employ electronic and web-based applications for maintenance and compliance can incorporate those ap- plications directly into Flagship. Assistance within the Association In addition to PVA staff, PVA is fortunate to have associate members who have not only worked with vessel members to develop safety and quality management systems, but also worked on the development of the PVA Flagship SMS. For members wishing to get an additional level of assistance can contact Dione Lee at QSE Solutions in Seattle, WA (dione@ qsesolutions.com), or Roger Miller at SMS, LLC in Portland, ME (rmiller@ smsllc.com), For members looking beyond voluntary compliance, PVA Associate member American Bureau of Shipping can provide Third Party verifica- tion compliance services for safety management systems. The point of contact at ABS is Michael Michaud (mmichaud@eagle.org). For more information about the PVA Flagship SMS, please contact Eric Christensen of the PVA staff at 1-800-807-8360 x 26, or echristensen@ passengervessel.com. n