COSWP is best practice guidance published by MCA for merchant seafarers on UK-registered ships. It addresses onboard risks which may affect seafarers and safety norms according to British Standards or European Norms.
"Non-UK ships are not subject to all UK health and safety regulations, although failure to meet international standards of safety enshrined in those regulations may result in enforcement action while the ship is in UK waters."
ISM code requires to have a Safety Management System for all ships of 500 gross tonnage and above. Safety Management System must be developed by the Owner or Operator. As COSWP has safety procedures for most of onboard activities and covers most of risks, companies may consider its recommendations while developing own SMS.
"Code always be considered in conjunction with the findings of the Company’s or employer’s risk assessment, and any information, procedures or working instructions provided by the manufacturer, supplier or any other source should be followed."
Paragraph 16 in About section of COSWP describes relationship between COSWP and ISM code in more details:
"16. Compliance with the ISM Code complements existing health and safety regulations and use of the guidance in this Code. For example:
• The ISM Code requires that the Company’s safety management system should ‘ensure that applicable codes, guidelines and standards recommended by the ... Administration’ are taken into account. This Code is one such ‘applicable code’, and an ISM audit may consider how the guidance it contains has been implemented.
• The ISM Code requires that the ‘safety management objectives of the Company should, inter alia, ... establish safeguards against all identified risks ...’. This Code will assist the Company in identifying risks and establishing safe practices to safeguard against them.
• The ISM Code requires the Company to ‘define and document the responsibility, authority and interrelation of all personnel who manage, perform and verify work relating to and affecting safety and pollution prevention’. This Code gives advice on the roles of those with particular safety responsibilities, and highlights work areas where specific responsibilities should be allocated to a competent person."
