Jodie Reibel, Vice President of QHSSE and Operations at Wilhelmsen Ships Services
Safety is serious business for Jodie Reibel, who is Vice President of QHSSE and Operations at Wilhelmsen Ships Services (WSS). Her role involves implementing QHSSE and Operational frameworks to improve operations and building a safety culture within the organisation.
Safety initiatives at Wilhelmsen Ships Service
At WSS, an example of one of the many safety initiatives that Jodie directs is their Managing Marine Incidents program. Collaborating with industry stakeholders, WSS regularly simulates marine incidents to test their readiness to handle emergencies.
These simulations create opportunities for all stakeholders to understand the process, work together, and evaluate gaps in safety and security to resolve common maritime security and safety issues, she explained.
Another initiative was the inaugural safety month launched in 2018 as an internal awareness campaign targeted at their offices worldwide.
For the month of March, ship agents were exposed to interesting videos and interactive activities that not only help to create awareness on the importance of safety, but also help to maintain that focus, she said.
"From risk assessment programmes to PPE mini games, we have built a culture of safety that keeps our employees interested and engaged about their daily work hazards," she added.
Challenges in promoting safety
However, the implementation of global safety programmes at WSS has proven to be a challenge as employee engagement in local offices may not be as high.
To counter this issue, the "activities are never static; instead, they link both learning and testing at the same time to compare the effectiveness of the campaigns."
"It also allows employees to internalise learning and provide them with an opportunity to practice their learning," she said.
3 Questions with Jodie Reibel
Q1. What does it take to build a maritime safety culture?
"A maritime safety culture is not built overnight. It takes a lot of time and effort to build. What is most important is that people believe in the importance of staying safe. While initiatives and campaigns are important, they are not as vital as the buy-in from the employees themselves.
Not only do employees need to be exposed to safety initiatives, they need to internalise the consequences of being unsafe. This can be done through daily conversations about safety or utilising the risk assessments at home."
Q2. What was your proudest moment in your career since you started in the maritime industry?
"It is hard to pinpoint a specific moment. Whenever an employee adopts a safety mindset, it makes me realise the work and commitment our organisation has made towards safety. WSS has evolved so much - it is heartening to know that our safety culture and campaigns have taken root when I hear that people are actively preventing safety hazards and resolving them."
Q3. What words of wisdom would you give to the next generation of talents entering the maritime industry?
"For the next generation of maritime talents, I urge you to be involved and go out there and experience everything this industry has to offer. This is a dynamic and exciting industry to be a part of and there is always an opportunity to learn and experience something new, be it onshore activities or offshore operations.
Do not box yourself in because this industry is ever-changing and make full use of your time and energy in your youth to expose yourself to as much as you can. This industry has so much to offer and all you need to do is to be willing to try new things."
