Implementing Effective Public Health Compliance Initiatives
At Anchor Hygiene Services Ltd., we are committed to providing reliable public health compliance solutions for all of our clients. We conduct training sessions, inspections, and programs that are geared toward improving the public health measures of companies, thereby minimising risks and protecting your employees and customers from health hazards.
Our company was established in 2013 by Iain Hay. He has been providing consulting services for the cruise industry for more than twenty years.
We are highly experienced in offering onboard and shoreside training for management and crew members of all ranks and nationalities. Training for Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) 2011, EU SHIPSAN, and UK Ofqual Food Safety (levels 1 to 4) are offered and may be tailored to meet your specific operational needs.
Our team conducts operational USPH-style inspections and provide on-the-job support for ships’ personnel in preparation for public health inspections worldwide. Ideally, all ships are advised to conduct quarterly external public health compliance reviews. For vessels that are operating away from the United States for extended periods, it is advantageous for ship operators to have a periodic professional assessment of their day-to-day public health operation. This may be scored using the same criteria and system as the United States CDC Vessel Sanitation Program to achieve consistency.
All ship or shoreside facility inspections are followed up with a detailed report giving recommendations on how to correct or improve upon observations noted. Our inspection reports are not designed to be a tool to admonish. Rather, they are constructive and help the management to continually improve.
Public health inspections and reviews for ships operating in Australia, Brazil, Canada, continental Europe, and the UK are also offered to ensure compliance with local public health authority regulations in those regions. Inspections and advice are offered in all of the following areas:
- Acute gastrointestinal illness surveillance (medical)
- Food safety (integrated pest management, housekeeping, and inspection of HVAC systems, fountains, misting systems, humidifiers, showers, and child activity centres, including baby changing facilities)
- Outbreak prevention planning
- Outbreak resolution services
- Potable water systems (including backflow prevention and protection against legionella)
- Recreational water facilities
- Ship construction and refurbishment guidelines (USPH standard)
Shoreside facility inspections are also offered on behalf of cruise ship operators, such as:
- Food operations (food, beverage, and equipment shoreside storage and transportation facilities)
- Out island food and beverage operations
- Shoreside restaurants and bars recommended by the ship or visited during cruise organised shore excursions)
Please note that when inspections are required to be performed at premises or facilities not owned or operated by the cruise operator it is the cruise operator’s responsibility to make the arrangements to secure access and ensure co-operation by third party personnel.
We offer escorted repatriation of sick or injured personnel from ships or hospitals to their home countries. Anchor Hygiene Services Ltd. can provide medical professionals to accompany the repatriation of crew members on request. For more details, call us today or send us an email.
Our team offers guidance on how to optimise the effectiveness of existing outbreak prevention and response systems. In outbreak situations, we provide invaluable support in assisting the ship’s management to eliminate the spread of viruses or bacteria by offering guidance and supervision of effective and proven outbreak resolution protocols, overseeing operations, and giving hands-on support to the management, medical, and operations teams.
We conduct detailed inspections during construction and ship refurbishments or immediately prior to operation and/or a VSP construction inspection. It is also a good idea to hire one of our professionals during VSP construction inspections and to follow up on the findings.
Clients We Have Worked With
Captain Jaret T. Ames
Chief, CDC Vessel Sanitation Program
This letter is to provide my professional opinion on the qualifications and work experience of Mr. lain Hay. My history with Mr. Hay stretches back to 1998 when I was the Assistant Deputy Chief of the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program and managing our Ft. Lauderdale, FL office. He was a Hotel Director with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in that period, so our interactions were initially related only to my inspection visits to ships where he was assigned. I can recall that even then lain was unique in his interest in public health. He was not then or ever interested strictly in what was required; rather, he had a keen interest in what the requirement was based on or what it was intended to prevent. I found this a refreshing view and came to find that Mr. Hay was one of the few managers onboard who was really trying to better understand the public health requirements for the express purpose of finding the best way to incorporate them into the existing structure and pattern of the ships operations.
He was an obvious choice as Fleet Public Health Officer and from that point forward we had regular communications regarding all aspects of the VSP, whether it was a problem identified in an inspection, our training program, construction elements, or in outbreak investigations. My impression throughout these many years was of a professional above all else. Mr. Hay worked well with others onboard and positively impacted the corporate policies, given his opportunity to review what did and did not work operationally. He continued to work with the VSP to improve the understanding onboard of the reasons for the requirements and initiated problem solving to achieve effective compliance.
Mr. Hay never hesitated to advise me or my staff when he felt strongly on an issue of public health or the need to challenge our program. His approach always had the signature of being professional and well thought out. Mr. Hay brings strong field and managerial skills to any organization, but I find his ability to apply his experience in a way which impacts onboard operations gives him a distinct advantage.
As the current Chief of the Vessel Sanitation Program I feel confident in recommending Ian Hay to any similar managerial or operational public health position where he is involved with hotel or cruise ship operations. His knowledge and applied skills in critical elements such as prevention, training, onboard inspection, and outbreak response would be hard to duplicate.
Manny Rivas
We are very pleased to use Anchor Hygiene Services for public health consultancy. Their managing Director, Iain Hay, has been providing public health inspections and classroom-style training for our shipboard crewmembers in the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, SkySea, Pullmantur Cruceros and Tui Cruises fleets for the past ten years. Iain is a hard working professional with very good communication skills and is very familiar with the present public health international regulations. We are very happy with the quality of his work.
