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Code of Practice
22 Protection of Personnel
22.1 Deckhouses
A deckhouse used for accommodation of persons should be of efficient construction.
22.2 Bulwarks, Guard Rails and Handrails
22.2.1 The perimeter of an exposed deck should be fitted with bulwarks, guard rails or guard wires of sufficient strength and height for the safety of persons on deck.
22.2.2 When the proper working of a vessel may otherwise be impeded, bulwarks or two courses of rails or taut wires should be fitted around the working deck and the height of the protection should be not less than 600mm above the deck. Rails or wires should be supported at intervals not exceeding 2.2 metres.
22.2.3 When the proper working of a vessel of less than 9 metres in length may otherwise by impeded, bulwarks or a single rail or taut wire should be fitted around the working deck and the height of protection should not be less than 450mm above the deck.
22.2.4 To protect persons from falling overboard, and when the proper working of the vessel is not impeded and there are persons frequently on the deck, bulwarks or three courses or fails or taut wires should be provided and the bulwark top or top course should be 1000mm above the deck (in accordance with Load Line rules). Intermediate courses should be evenly spaced.
22.2.5 In a vessel fitted with a cockpit which opens aft to the sea, additional guardrails should be fitted so that there is no vertical opening greater than 500mm.
22.2.6 In a vessel fitted with a headstay, a fixed or stop-nosed bow pulpit should be provided forward of the headstay of at least the same height as the guardrails, except in way of substantial bowsprit. A drop-nosed pulpit with an opening wider than 250mm should be provided with a means of closure at guardrail height, for use at sea.
In a vessel fitted with a headstay, a pulpit should be provided forward and around the headstay of at least the same height as the adjacent guardrails.
When it is desired to move forward of a pulpit to access a bowsprit or to assist with docking operations it should be permissible to arrange the pulpit with an opening in its forward-most part. In this case, an efficient means of closure of the opening and jackstays in accordance with 22.3.5 should be provided.
22.2.7 Access stairways, ladderways and passageways should be provided with handrails.
22.3 Safety Harnesses
22.3.1 A vessel should carry a safety harness for each person on board.
22.3.2 Efficient means for securing the life lines of safety harnesses should be provided on exposed decks, with grabrails on the sides and ends of a deckhouse.
22.3.3 Fastening points for the attachment of safety harness life lines should be arranged having regard to the likely need for work on or above deck. In general, securing points should be provided in the following positions:-
.1 close to a companionway; and
.2 on both sides of a cockpit.
22.3.4 When guard rails or wires are not otherwise provided, jackstays (which may be fixed or portable)_ secured to strong points, should be provided on each side of the vessel to enable crew members to traverse the length of the weather deck in bad weather.
22.3.5 When a vessel is provided with an open front pulpit, jackstays should be carried sufficiently far forward to protect persons working in the vicinity of the pulpit.
22.4 Toe Rails
A toe rail of not less than 25mm in height should be fitted around the working deck.
22.5 Surface of Working Decks
22.5.1 The surface of a working deck should be non-slip.
22.5.2 Acceptable surfaces are: unpainted wood; a non-skid patterns moulded into FRP; non-slip deck paint; or an efficient non-slip covering.
22.5.3 Particular attention should be paid to the surface finish of a hatch cover when it is fitted on a working deck and to sloping coachroof sides where these effectively constitute a working deck when the vessel is heeled.
22.6 Recovery of Persons from the Water
An overside boarding ladder or scrambling net which extends from the weather deck to at least 600mm below the operational waterline or other means to aid the recovery of an unconscious person from the water should be provided to the satisfaction of the Certifying Authority.
22.7 Personal Clothing
It should be the responsibility of an owner/managing agent/skipper to advise that the following requirements for items of person clothing should be met:-
.1 Each person on board a vessel should have protective clothing appropriate to the prevailing air and sea temperatures.
.2 On a vessel which intends to operate in high latitudes, each person on board should have either an approved immersion suit or a dry suit of suitable quality to reduce the likelihood of hypothermia should the wearer enter the sea.
.3 Each person on board a vessel should have footwear having non-slip soles, to be worn on board.
