Port Authority of Thailand, PEMSEA PSHEMS recognition at Bangkok Port (related integrated-management example)

Summary:

The Port Safety, Health and Environmental Management System (PSHEMS) is a certifiable management system promoted by PEMSEA. It integrates the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 in one system for ports (PEMSEA, n.d.; Cardinal and Factuar, 2018).

In March 2005 PEMSEA introduced PSHEMS to the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT), which chose to implement it at Bangkok Port (Poopetch, 2014). The first scope was dangerous goods handling, the process with the highest safety, health and environmental risk (Poopetch, 2014).

Bangkok Port illustrates PEMSEA PSHEMS recognition under a port-specific code consistent with ISO management-system requirements. The cited evidence does not establish separate ISO certificates, and the recognition described is historical (2005 to 2014); it does not imply a current certificate.

Approach (Poopetch, 2014):

Top management leads. An Administrative Committee headed by the Managing Director of Bangkok Port was set up to steer the system.

Start with the riskiest process. The port limited the first scope to dangerous goods handling and reviewed its practices against the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code .

Train staff and document the system. PEMSEA trained port personnel, and the port developed a PSHEMS manual, which it found a challenging task.

Audit internally. A trained internal audit team was made responsible for monitoring, control and improvement of the system.

Widen the scope. After two recognition cycles for dangerous goods handling, the scope was extended to all services of Bangkok Port.

Results (Poopetch, 2014):

Bangkok Port held PSHEMS recognition for dangerous goods handling for December 2006 to 2009 and November 2009 to 2012, and for all port services for August 2011 to 2014 (Poopetch, 2014). Before the system, the port recorded warehouse explosions and fires; afterwards it reported small leaks with no fire, one to two per year (Poopetch, 2014). PEMSEA reports that handling incidents fell sharply and zero incidents were achieved (Cardinal and Factuar, 2018).

The case study also lists economic gains alongside the system, with container throughput rising from 1.345 million TEU in 2004 to 1.449 million TEU in 2011, although it does not attribute this growth to PSHEMS alone (Poopetch, 2014).

Its lessons stress top management support, a working group with representatives from all units, and proper training for staff who run the system (Poopetch, 2014).