Skip to main content

About this course

This course is suitable for seafarers who are about to serve, or are already serving, as either safety representatives or safety officers. It provides theoretical and practical training to allow you to undertake the duties of a shipboard safety officer, as detailed by the MCA. 

The course addresses both accident prevention and accident investigation. 

This training is intended to meet the requirements set out in The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) Regulations and the Code of Safe Working Practice for Merchant Seafarers (CoSWP). 

What you'll learn

On completion of the course you should have the knowledge to: 

  • understand the duties of the SSO, 
  • have considered the legal framework for safety, 
  • understand the relationship between the ISM code, safety management on board ship, 
  • have an overview of the ISM code, 
  • have considered the causes of accidents, 
  • understand the process and limitations of risk assessment, 
  • have considered the accident investigation process, 
  • understand the importance of appropriate interviewing technique, and 
  • have considered factors influencing the effectiveness of safety committee meetings. 

This course is delivered at our East Park Terrace campus in Southampton.

Course information

  • Next available date

    On demand

  • Duration

    Flexible

  • Price

    On-request

  • Approvals

    MCA

  • Prerequisites

    You must have served at sea for at least 12 months and be at least 18 years old.

Course availability

Please contact our short course sales team for more information around course availability.wms.shortcoursesales@solent.ac.uk
+44 (0)23 8201 3074

Contact us

Please contact our short course sales team if you require more information about this course.

Online bookings will be confirmed with joining information within one working day of the booking being made. Confirmation of payment should be received in the normal way.

Please ensure that you follow the booking process and do not enter payment details more than once, unless you are booking more than one course. If you experience any issues, please email wms.shortcoursesales@solent.ac.uk.

Admissions Team


Normal office hours are (UK time):

08.30 - 17.00 Monday to Thursday
08.30 - 16.30 Friday