When using the programme, you will find many more FAQs and answers in the final section of the accompanying user manual Getting started – Health & Safety at Sea (pp. 19-21). There is also an extensive Help menu in the actual programme.
FAQs on products not listed in the products reported by ship-owners
1. When updating the software, why aren't the products you have set up yourself updated automatically?
If on your vessel you have registered products that are not in the ship-owner's positive list (or in another company's positive list), the software will not be immediately able to locate them in the database and they will be allocated a 100,000 number. When updating the software, you will get a list of these 100,000 numbered products which you will then need to match with the updates made in the database. If the products are not there (see next answer) you will need to enter them manually.
2. What do I do when I have set up a product that is not in the database?
Consider whether this product is one only being used temporarily until a product on the ship-owner's positive list is available or whether it is one you will be wishing to use in future. If you do wish to use the product in future, ask the company to get the product registered in the chemicals database. This will ensure that the data on the product meets the legal requirements and you will then subsequently receive an update for the product.
3. How can you find out if a product contains solvents?
When setting up products that are not in the database, you will be asked whether the product contains organic solvents. The easiest way is to check whether the list of chemical substances in the safety datasheet gives a threshold value in ppm. if it does, the product contains solvents. Another option is to check the Danish Working Environment Service list of organic solvents which you can find in the Workplace Risk Assessment module under Further Information and under Legal References.
General FAQs on the programme
4. Why aren't all the safety datasheets in English?
The legislation from the Danish Maritime Authority requires Danish suppliers to provide the necessary information about the products in a safety datasheet. It does not specify what form the safety datasheet should take so there is no requirement for it to be on paper or in English. We do recommend that as a customer, you require the safety datasheet to be provided in English when you have English as a working language.
5. Should Workplace Risk Assessments, User Instructions and Personal Protection schedules be printed out?
The legislation says that workplace risk assessments and workplace user instructions should be available to all personnel using them aboard, but it says nothing about them being on paper and if everyone has access to the programme, there would be no requirement for them to be printed out. Personal protection schedules are not required by law but we recommend hanging them up in the chemical locker.
FAQs on using the programme
6. Whereabouts in the programme do I enter vessel/department/product-specific data needed in the workplace user instructions?
Enter WUI text for your vessel under Configuration at the Vessel level. You can then subsequently make changes at the underlying Catering, Deck and Engine levels where special issues apply in these areas. You can also enter special instructions for individual products at the Product level. Go to the storage location and highlight the product in the information part. Right click and edit the text at the Product level.
7. How do I switch language?
You can switch language in the Vessel Data module by clicking on the View/Select Language toolbar. Remember to enter your working language aboard right at the beginning since what you enter yourself will not be translated.