Crew on P&OML vessels use AISA to find solutions to HSSEQ questions (source: P&OML)
P&O Maritime Logistics (P&OML) has created an AI Safety Assistant powered by ChatGPT to support team members in HSSEQ administration
The offshore and marine services vessel owner has saved a significant amount of time by using the artificial intelligence (AI)-backed application across its fleet and operations.AISA provides crew and shore managers with answers to a range of questions, makes suggestions for further reading and has become a safety assistant to those on board.
P&OML head of health, safety, security, environmental and quality (HSSEQ), Benjamin Neal tells Riviera Maritime Media the company developed AISA, powered by ChatGPT and embedded in its HSE SharePoint site, as a tool for everyone to use.
“AISA is helping to improve productivity and has saved time and administration on board,” he explains. “It helps us develop HSE campaigns, training content and provides answers 24/7, immediately, in any language. It is like having a safety assistant in someone’s pocket.”
Mr Neal started exploring ChatGPT and its potential uses in HSSEQ in November 2022 and launched AISA within P&OML in May 2023. Since then, AISA has been upgraded to AISA 2.0 and now P&OML is working with Microsoft to develop AISA 3.0.
“AISA can answer questions on what to do in an incident, or what to do for compliance. It provides guidance on safety measures and metrics, how to conduct risk assessments and where to find lifesaving rule materials.”
It provides links to important information, including embedded tuition videos and documents from organisations such as the International Marine Contractors Association.
P&OML’s head of HSSEQ trained AISA on P&OML procedures, industry best practice, HSSEQ dashboards and data. He trialled it, then released it across the company and fleet in May within the group’s internal SharePoint site.
“On average, there are around 200 questions per week from crew and staff,” says Mr Neal. “These are questions crew would otherwise have to spend time looking up or face a delayed response from the shore HSSEQ team.Now crew can get instant HSSEQ support whatever time of day, in any language.”
Some of the questions tackled are around the company’s HSSEQ management system content, where to download safety applications, or how to conduct a management vessel visit.
Previously, this information would be stored within a central library of HSE manuals, procedures, posters, videos and other forms of media, and while efforts were made for quick access, AISA trumps them all.
P&OML uses AISA to compile safety and training content and create HSE campaigns, such as one coming soon on safe mooring. “This would normally take at least a week to get all the campaign material together,” says Mr Neal. “AISA helps us get 60% of the work done instantly and then it is up to our teams to tailor the rest to their requirements.”
“We will be working with Microsoft on a full enterprise bot. It has full support from top management as it shows our technology-driven leadership.”
P&OML is continually refining the application, and the team regularly reviews the feedback to the answers from the questions. “It was a lot of work getting this up and running and training the data, but now it is minimal,” says Mr Neal.
AISA 3.0 will be integrated into Microsoft Azure and SharePoint to provide more insights.
“It has been proven with HSSEQ and end users,” he explains. “The world is our oyster in P&OML. We will be working with Microsoft on a full enterprise bot. It has full support from top management as it shows our technology-driven leadership.”
P&OML’s clients will be able to use AISA, with some having already used AISA during audits. Mr Neal says the use-cases and feedback are positive.
“People need to embrace and start using this technology to improve productivity,” he explains. “ChatGPT, while being a powerful tool, is not immune to misuse or the potential generation of inaccurate information, that is why we have developed AISA.”
AISA effectively instructs personnel on how to appropriately utilise long-language models within the workplace.
“It also serves as a compass, directing individuals to the appropriate contact person for queries that fall outside the scope of ChatGPT’s optimal usage,” adds Mr Neal.
P&OML is not stopping at AISA, plans are already moving to explore a similar assistant to support crews with vessel maintenance as well as other functions within P&OML.
