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Disclaimer: The notes below were produced by the author for the purposes of preparing for an Officer-of-the-Watch oral examination in November 2015. As such they are intended only as simplified summaries and aide memoires and therefore do not give a true reflection of the original content or intention of the documents to which they refer. These notes are likely to contain inaccuracies and omissions that make them unsuitable as an alternative to a proper study and understanding of the current revision of the original document(s). They are posted here as a study aid and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes, however any such use remains the responsibility of the reader. Where a copyright claim is made the domain holder should be contacted in the first instance to have the content removed.
Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seafarers
Published by the MCA and endorsed by various bodies and unions as a Best Practice guide for improving health and safety on board ships. It is one of the 'applicable codes' that the ISM Code requires companies to take into account when creating their SMS. COSWP itself is written to be accessible to personnel at all levels
Chapters:
1 - Managing occupational health and safety
Talks about personal responsibility and the elements that make a safety culture effective, such as good communication and clearly defining what is expected of personnel at different levels. Describesrisk assessments and defines a 'hazard' as the source of danger and 'risk' as a combination of potential severity of harm or damage and the likelihood of its occurrence. There is a useful guide to having a 'Just Culture' which helps to objectively determine what response positive or negative behaviour warrants.
Stages of a Risk Assessment:
1. Define the Hazard
2. Calculate the Risk (multiplication of values)
3. Decide if Risk is tolerable (maximum acceptable value)
4. Control the Risk and record procedures for doing so (reduce one or both values)
5. Review the Risk and develop emergency procedures (new calculation)
2 - Safety Induction
Sets out what familiarisation training a person should be given on joining a ship making reference to STCW Chapter VI, the Maritime Labour Convention and MGN 71.
3 - Living on board
Talks about health and fitness including ENG1 and the dangers of fatigue, malaria, smoking, alcohol, heatstroke, hypothermia, clothing, cleaning, hazardous substances and injuries common in the industry.
4 - Emergency drills and procedures
Talks about the importance of these to personal safety and how to make them effective.
5 - Fire precautions
Talks about common sources of fire on ships and how to reduce the risk.
6 - Security on board
Talks about the application and aims of the ISPSCode and the types of threatvessels are liable to encounter.
7 - Health surveillance
The responsibility of employers to monitor health so that action can be taken early to prevent more serious issues. For example reporting a skin rash or tingling hands may reveal inadequacies in the health risk assessment for a task
8 - Personal protective equipment
Emphasises that PPE is not the preferred method of risk mitigation as the hazard is unchanged and only the person wearing the PPE is protected. Gives a list of preferred methods and talks about the benefits and limitations of common items of PPE.
9 - Safety signs and their use
Emphasises that signs are not to be considered a substitute for removing the hazard when possible. Considerations should be given on passenger ships to hazards that seafarers would recognise but passengers wouldn't. Talks about the various mandatory hazard signage systems such as colour markings on fire extinguishers, prohibitory crossed red circle signs, yellow triangle warning signs, blue mandatory signs and green emergency signs.
10 - Manual handling
Advice to companies on reducing risks and advice to seafarers on techniques, including using manual handling equipment.
11 - Safe movement on board ship
Adequate lighting (for example to see hazards like deck openings and detect damage to containers), signage, railings, clearly marked transit areas clear of trip hazards with adequate drainage and non-slip surfaces, lifelines in heavy weather, safe access to the top of and over cargo, categories of watertight doors (see MSC.1/Circ.1380), standards for hold access.
12 - Noise, vibration and other physical agents
How to assess the hazards and what health surveillance measures should be put in place
13 - Safety officials
Everyone has a safety responsibility but the employer, Master and officers/managers have a particular responsibility for oversight. Some personnel have designated roles or serve on safety committees and are known as 'safety officials'. This chapter attempts to help employers, Masters and safety officials determine how to fulfil their roles. Ships employing five or more seafarers must appoint a safety officer and make arrangements for the election of safety representatives or each department. These personnel will form the minimum foundation for a safety committee chaired by the Master.
Safety officials must have access to COSWP, any relevant legislation, MSNs and any information or data pertinent to risk assessments, safety, firefighting, first aid and any other emergency procedures.
The safety officer should conduct inspections of each accessible part of the ship at least once every three months, looking at safe access, the environment and working practices in order to prevent incidents. Encouraging relevant safety representatives to accompany them is a good way to build an effective cooperative relationship with them. They should read previous reports on a section before conducting the inspection and increase the frequency if there are significant changes to equipment or working practices in a section. They have a duty to stop any work they believe may cause an accident.
They should also promote safety by posting information posters and leaflets and renewing them regularly, arranging for safety films to be shown, encouraging feedback and keeping seafarers informed of the results.
Safety representatives may inspect any of the recordsthe safety officer must keep,request specific investigations be carried out by the safety officer and make representations to the Master and company regarding issues. There is advice on how they can be most effective in their role.
There is advice on how the purpose of and how to conduct safety committee meetings, how to conduct accident investigations and annexes giving advice on inspections and an example accident statement.
14 - Permit to work systems
An organised and defined safety procedure that ensures necessary steps are taken to ensure the safety of personnel undertaking work where they may be endangered by the nature of the work itself, the work environment or inadvertently by the routine actions of another person.
The permit should as relevant and accurate as possible recording the details and location of the work, the results of any preliminary environmental tests, the measures undertaken to make the job safeand the period of validity (not more than 24 hours). It should be signed by an 'authorised officer' who is empowered by the SMS to take responsibility and countersigned by the 'competent person' they have authorised to organise and supervise it.
15 - Entering dangerous (enclosed) spaces
Defines an enclosed space as a space with limited openings for entry and exit that has inadequate ventilation and is not designed for continuous worker occupation which may become a 'dangerous space', perhaps only temporarily, due to certain types of cargo or work. Any enclosed space is potentially life threatening.
The chapter outlines the control measures that might be necessary following a risk assessment leading to a permit to work. It also recommends that an inventory be made of spaces on a ship identified as enclosed spaces by risk assessments.
From January 2016 ships are required to carry atmosphere-testing equipment. Where the atmosphere of a space cannot be tested remotely it should be assumed hazardous and tested by a person wearing BA. Wherever possible they should have two air supplies available and use the external continuous air supply with the bottle serving only as an emergency backup in case this fails, at which point they should exit the space immediately. This procedure also applies when emergency work must be carried out in a dangerous space.
Provides a handy flow chart for determining if an enclosed space entry is warranted and can be conducted safely and what the impact of the outcome should be on the existing procedures.
16 - Hatch covers and access lids
How to safely conduct work involving the different types of hatch covers and access lids by carrying out a risk assessment and taking necessary precautions.
17 - Work at height (See also MGN 410)
Refers to MGN 410 for detailed guidance but states that a risk assessment and suitable control measures should be undertaken. Discusses the use of ladders, cradles and stages, bosun's chairs, punts and scaffolding.
18 - Provision, care and use of work equipment (See also MGN 331)
This section deals with everything provided for work but not SOLAS mandated equipment. Certain notable items of work equipment are dealt with in greater detail in their own chapters. Responsibility for equipment lies with the company and it should comply with relevant British or European general or merchant shipping standards. Talks about the hazards that should be considered including crushing, cutting, vibration, radiation, rupture, projection or even being struck by lightning. Tools should be used for their intended purpose by competent personnel and it should be correctly maintained and inspected. PPE should be suitable for use with equipment. Discusses common types of tool including ropes and laundry equipment and their hazards.
19 - Lifting plant and operations (See also MGN 332)
Requirements for lifting equipment in terms of strength, installation, inspection, maintenance, testing certificates, safety measures, when SWL can be exceeded, use of derricks, use of fork-lifts, use and maintenance of lifts. There is a table of hand signals for crane operations in the annexes. A register of lifting appliances is to be maintained as per the template provided in the annexes.
20 - Work on machinery and power systems
After a risk assessment consult the Master or Chief Engineer if work will require isolation of fire mains, sprinkler systems or alarms. Never block access to emergency equipment. Don't remove safeguards unless machinery has been stopped, fence off and signpost missing railings or deck plates, be aware of and take precautions against heat and noise in machinery spaces, never enter an unmanned machinery space alone without notifying the EOOW. Goes on to describe common types of machinery, their hazards and suitable precautions against these.
21 - Hazardous substances and mixtures
Types of hazardous substances on board and preventing or controlling exposure, suitable health surveillance and reporting.
22 - Boarding arrangements
Gangways and accommodation ladders are lifting equipment and should be tested and recorded as such. Each end should lead to a place of safety. A lifebuoy with self-activating light and a separate buoyant lifeline with quoit should be provided. Safety nets should be rigged to prevent injury from falling. Accommodation ladders should be kept horizontal and secured while personnel attached to safety lines rig them. A portable ladder should be at an angle of 60°-75° from horizontal and should only be used when no safer means of access is practicable. A rope ladder is only for going between ships of differing freeboard when no safer means of access is practicable.
Safe rigging of pilot ladders - steps horizontal, at a height suitable for the pilot vessel, resting firmly against the side, if used with accomodation ladder the pilot ladder must reach at least 2m above the bottom platform, safe and unobstructed access at the top of the ladder, lifebuoy with self-igniting light at the top of the ladder, lit by a forward shining overside light.
Ships of 30m or more must have gangway, 120m or more must have accommodation ladder
Gangways should not be at an angle more than 30° from the horizontal unless designed for greater angles and should not be fixed to the ship's railings unless they are designed for this purpose
Accommodation ladders should not be at an angle more than 55° from the horizontal and should rest against the ship's side where practicable. The steps should provide a safe foothold at the angle of use. At maximum inclination the bottom platform should be no more than 600mm above the waterline in the ship's lightest condition.
23 - Food preparation and handling in the catering department
Trained staff, hands washed, wounds covered, illness reported, no smoking, no jewellery, proper, clean protective clothing, clean crockery and utensils, cross-contamination, avoiding common injuries, safety procedures with common equipment
24 - Hot work
Welding and cutting outside of workshops requires a permit to work. Adequate fixed lighting and ventilation, proper PPE, precautions against fire and explosion and electric shocks. Annex provides a checklist for lighting up and shutting down.
25 - Painting
Common dangers such as dust from rubbing down previous paint which is of an unknown type, chemicals used in the process, fumes and oxygen depletion. Precautions to deal with these and with those presented by paint-spraying equipment.
26 - Anchoring, mooring and towing operations
Familiarisation of seafarers with winches, rollers, ropes and wires, notably the location of emergency stops. Adequate lighting, brake checks, communications with the bridge. Anchoring, mooring and casting off, mooring to a buoy and towing procedures including common hazards and guidance on safety. Interesting details such as what to do if your anchor doesn't run when you let go, which mooring lines provide the most restraint in different directions and that you shouldn't paint snapback zones to avoid a false sense of security.
27 - Roll-on/roll-off ferries
Vehicle deck operations should be supervised by an officer and there should be no access to the vehicle deck at sea without specific permission. Ventilation must be maintained and possibly increased depending on activity and cargo. Discusses vehicle deck equipment, inspecting vehicles prior to loading, stowage and securing, access.
28 - Dry cargo
Deals with packaged and dry bulk cargoes not on RORO ferries. How to safely stow and overstow cargoes, what to do about dangerous goods, carriage of containers and guidance for working cargo to be read in conjunction with the chapter on lifting gear.
29 - Tankers and other ships carrying bulk liquid cargoes
Personnel must be properly qualified and make use of:
Tankers - International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT)
Liquified Gas Carriers - IMO Codes for the International Construction and Equipment on Ships Carrying Liquified Gases in Bulk (IGC)
Chemical Carriers - International Code for the Constuction and Equipment on Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC) and Interpretations of IBC (BCH)
30 - Port towage industry
General guidance on safety for seafarers engaged on tugs involved in towage operations in harbour limits
31 - Ships serving offshore oil and gas installations
General guidance on safety for seafarers serving on the variety of vessels serving such installations including cargo operations and transfer of personnel
32 - Ships serving offshore renewables
To be introduced in 2016
33 - Ergonomics
Deals with the interaction between humans and work in three principal areas - design and environment, work processes and organisation - and how these can be addressed by the seafarer to improve safety and efficiency