Reducing LTAF and Developing a Crew-Led Safety Culture

What if reducing accidents isn’t about more control, but about giving it away?

When crew members are given ownership and a voice, performance improves. This shift led to measurable results for TORM, including a 42% reduction in LTAF.

TORM approached us in 2018 to help reduce lost time accident frequency (LTAF) across its fleet of around 70 vessels.

Like most established organisations, they already had solid procedures and systems in place. The real challenge lay elsewhere: limited visibility into how safety was actually understood, communicated, and practised on board. Feedback to shore primarily came from senior officers, creating a partial picture. It didn’t fully reflect how work was experienced across all ranks on board.

This left underlying gaps, particularly in communication and daily execution, largely unseen. Without a clear view of these realities, the efforts to reduce their LTAF risked focusing on the wrong areas.

We implemented Performance Delta to give TORM a “mirror” – making human performance visible from the perspective of those at the frontline: the crew. Through an anonymous survey, the crew assessed their own safety culture and used the results as a basis for structured discussion and targeted improvement.

One early finding revealed a critical gap: senior officers believed their instructions were clear, while junior officers and ratings experienced them as unclear.

The report provided focus. Instead of relying on assumptions, the crew aligned on where development was needed and why. Performance Delta turned safety into something that is collectively understood, openly discussed, and actively improved by those doing the work.

TORM crew members engage in Performance Delta dialogues and development activities

Performance Delta helps TORM reduce average LTAF by 42% – from 0.76 to 0.44

RightShip data indicates fewer PSC inspections across TORM’s fleet

TORM achieved a 42% reduction in average LTAF – from 0.76 to 0.44. And with safer operations, they attracted less regulatory attention. Port State Control (PSC) authorities assessed the fleet as low-risk, resulting in fewer inspections (as low as six).

As Rasmus Snejbjerg, Former Vessel Manager, noted, it all started with having something to focus on: “The Performance Delta report gave us focus, a picture of where we do well or poorly.”

Just as importantly, safety ownership shifted. Crew members became more active participants in identifying and managing risks, rather than passive recipients of instructions. Participation broadened across ranks, with ratings and cadets increasingly contributing to discussions.

Over time, this shifted the dynamic from top-down instruction to crew-led engagement:

“Very often, crew members are told from the office, ‘Do it this way.’ Now, the crew are the ones taking the lead, and my role lies in the follow-up instead. That is the great difference – we are empowering the crew.

This will be reflected not only in safety performance, but also in the general everyday life on board. Trust and many other things will be strengthened.” – Snejbjerg