Published on Australian Maritime Safety Authority (https://www.amsa.gov.au)
A prescribed ship is:
We have trained occupational health and safety (OHS) inspectors who perform a range of functions, including audits, investigations of accidents and dangerous occurrences, issue of improvement and prohibition notices, advising employers on their duty of care as well as provide advice on health and safety matters. We have the authority to initiate prosecutions for serious breaches which can result in heavy penalties.
We can issue the person in command of the ship with an improvement notice if an inspector finds there is a breach of the Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) Act 1993 or its regulations.
We can issue the person in command of the ship with a prohibition notice if an inspector finds there is a threat to health or safety.
Operators are required to report accidents as described in section 107(1)(a) and (b) of the Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) Act 1993. You must also report dangerous occurrences as defined under regulation 4 of the Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) Regulations 1995. All reports must be made to the OHS inspectorate.
We have memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with state and territory regulators to provide a safe working environment in all Australian commercial maritime environments.
These MOUs set out the guidelines for how we work with occupational health and safety and workplace health and safety regulators for each state and territory to respond to health and safety issues on vessels and wharves.
The MOUs generally cover the following topics:
We have MOUs with the following states:
The Australian Government Seafarer safety, rehabilitation and compensation authority website, Seacare, has information about: