As a statutory harbour authority and major land owner, Lerwick Port Authority has various duties stemming from the Harbours Act 1964, its own unique harbour powers and other relevant legislation.
A key component of the Authority’s strategy is the continual improvement of all harbour services in response to changing user requirements, through the implementation of a fully integrated Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Management System. A management review process drives high standards and levels of efficiency, to ensure:
- Safe, efficient, cost effective sustainable harbour operations;
- An ongoing commitment to minimising environmental impact;
- Business activities are carried out in a responsible manner to prevent injury and ill health to employees, port users and others;
- Safe provision of services and the efficient discharge of duties are not undermined by commercial pressures.
In 2018, the Authority was the first Scottish port to achieve early certification to the tripartite of standards for:
Occupational Health & Safety ISO 45001:2018
Quality Assurance ISO 9001:2015
Standards certification is an investment that will help and sustain the Authority for coming generations, differentiating it from competitor ports, and strengthening its resilience and reputation. The accreditations complement matching standards seen in the decommissioning and oil & gas industries, at a time of further developments in both sectors.
Maintaining certification to these international standards requires significant scrutiny of business activities which comprise the HSEQ Management System. A rigorous audit programme keeps the Authority’s services, processes and procedures current, effective and customer-focused, whilst at the same time meeting legislative requirements and stakeholder needs. Both the internal and external audit processes relating to harbour activities guide ongoing compliance.
Occupational Health and Safety is at the heart of the Authority’s business processes, assisting with hazard identification and risk management, facilitating continual improvement, exposing the business to external audit and improving senior management and Board involvement. It encourages a particular emphasis on risk-based thinking – requiring management to integrate occupational health and safety policy with organisational strategy – and on the key themes of leadership and worker engagement. This leads the Authority through a systematic process for consultation and participation with workers.
The Authority’s full commitment to compliance with the standards, applicable legislation and other regulations, is detailed in its Policy Statements:
Lerwick Port Authority is a member of Port Skills and Safety, the UK's professional ports health and safety membership organisation to promote and raise health, safety and skills standards in ports.
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