Personal safety

2Personal Safety

General precautions

► Read carefully the personal safety instructions which are available in TNS 01 Annex 7.

► The surveyor must be suitably dressed for the space to be inspected

► This includes shoes, gloves & hard hat. The shoes should not give rise to a spark.

► The surveyor should carry a suitable torch, depending on the space to be inspected, an explosion-proof torch may be required

3Personal Safety

General precautions

► Watch for : Badly fixed, unsteady or unguarded scaffolding

Timber of scaffolding in poor condition or overhanging

Wooden hatch covers badly secured or missing

Ladder rungs missing or in poor condition

Decks, platforms etc., slippery or icy.

4Personal Safety

General precautions

► Watch for :

Deck openings open or unguarded

Surveying below men working overhead or beneath loads being handled

Surveys of tanks or compartments during ballasting or heavy lifting of cargoes

Electric welding without proper eye protection

5Personal Safety

► Do not conduct surveys alone or when workers have departed

► Internal inspections, particular care when

Inadequate lighting

Slippery surfaces

Open manholes in stringer plates

Corroded handrails & ladders

Doubt about ventilation and atmosphere

General precautions

6Personal Safety

General precautions

► Engulfment Hazards

Loose, granular material stored in holds or tanks, such as grain, sand, coal, or similar material can engulf and suffocate a worker.

The loose material can crust or bridge over and break under the weight of a worker

7Personal Safety

General precautions

► The surveyor must observe the safety requirements of third parties (shipyard, terminal, owners, authority, etc.)

► Slightest dizziness or lack of balance is a warning & the surveyor should leave the compartment immediately

Optimum oxygen level to be 20.8 to 21%

Combustible gases less than 10% of the lower explosive limit.

Toxins within acceptable limits

Maximum hydrogen sulphide level 10ppm

Maximum benzene level 10 ppm

8Personal Safety

11

14

16

19.5

20.8

22

0 5 10 15 20 25

Difficult breathing, death inminutes

Faulty Judgement, Rapid Fatigue

Impaired judgement & breathing

Oxygen Deficient Atmoshere

Normal

O2 Enriched

% OXYGEN

General precautions

9Personal Safety

General precautions

► Flammable atmospheres

Two things make an atmosphere flammable: the oxygen in the air and a flammable gas, vapor or dust in the proper mixture

Different gases have different flammable ranges. If a source of ignition is introduced into a space containing a flammable atmosphere, an explosion will result

An oxygen enriched atmosphere (above 22%) will cause flammable materials, such as clothing or hair, to burn violently when ignited.

10Personal Safety

General precautions

► Spaces poor in oxygen include :

Spaces that contain less than 20.8%

Heavily corroded spaces : the corrosion process consumes O2

Enclosed spaces partially filled with sea or fresh water experience a reduction in O2 & the possible generation of toxic gases.

Void spaces, M/E crankcases, edible oil tanks, etc.

11Personal Safety

Confined spaces

12Personal Safety

Confined spaces

► Prior to enter a confined space, check :

When opened & how long ventilated

Ventilation arrangements and means of verifying atmosphere during the survey

Whether surrounding compartments are full &, if so, with what

Nature of last cargo, if applicable

Condition of the compartment (ballast tk. Rust)

On average, there are 200 deaths per year in the Marine Industry as a result of confined space entries

On average, there are 200 deaths per year in the Marine Industry as a result of confined space entries

13Personal Safety

Confined spaces

► Ventilation arrangement

14Personal Safety

Never trust your senses to determine if the air in a confined space is safe !!!

You can not see or smell many toxic gases and vapors, nor can you determine the level of oxygen present.

Confined spaces

15Personal Safety

Confined spaces

► Over 50% of workers who die in confined spaces are attempting to rescue other workers

Rescuers must be trained in and follow established emergency procedures and use appropriate equipment and techniques (lifelines, respiratory protection, standby persons, etc)

Steps for safe rescue should be included in all confined space entry procedures.

Unplanned rescue, such as when someone instinctively rushes in to help a downed co-worker, can easily result in a double fatality, or even multiple fatalities if there are more than one "rescuer"

Remember, an unplanned rescue will probably be your lastRemember, an unplanned rescue will probably be your last

16Personal Safety

Confined spaces

► Prior to enter a confined space, check :

Safety & communication arrangements

• External to the compartment being surveyed

• Internal, during the survey

Review the entry certificate / permit

• When was it issued and its validity (incl. times)

• By whom & when next verification will be made

Tankers - ISGOTT regulations to be observed

• International safety guide for oil tankers & terminals

17Personal Safety

Confined spaces

► Check the isolation of the compartment :

IG lines blanked, valves closed & marked

P/V lines blanked, valves closed & marked

Cargo / ballast lines, at least 2 valves closed & marked

Drainage / flushing of cargo pipe lines passing through the tank

Adjacent compartments not filled with toxic material

Heating coils shut off

18Personal Safety

Confined spaces

► Dangerous spaces

Note - associated areas are considered as dangerous spaces

Gas free certificate - safe for access

Date / time of last verification - usually checked every 3 hours, assuming normal ventilation

The certificate should be valid for the duration of the survey

19Personal Safety

Confined spaces

► Toxic spaces

Spaces designed to contain toxic material

Loading areas also included as dangerous spaces

The space must not be entered if breathing apparatus is required

Special equipment for testing for toxic substances - Draeger tubes

Testing for oxygen

20Personal Safety

Confined spaces

► Boilers

Enter when both manholes have been opened

After ventilation & cooling

If other boilers are in service check that boiler is properly isolated on steam, water and smoke sides

• At least two valves between the boiler under survey and the boiler under steam

21Personal Safety

Check-list for entering confined spaces

► A check-list is available in TNS 01 Annex 7. Do not enter a confined space until you have considered every item of the check-list, as well as any other item of concern, and have determined the space to be safe

► The check-list covers the following topics : Confirmation that you will be accompanied during entry

Verification of testing equipment and qualification of testers

Testing of the atmosphere for oxygen level, toxic or flammable gases

Continuous monitoring of the atmosphere during survey

Ventilation of the confined space

Isolation of the confined space

Use of adequate clothing and safety equipment

Standby and rescue procedures

Entry permit

Remember, the final decision is yours. If you are not confident that the space is safe for entry, do not enter it.

Remember, the final decision is yours. If you are not confident that the space is safe for entry, do not enter it.

22Personal Safety

Rafting

► Boats or rafts may be used for the close up survey of ballast or cargo tanks under the following conditions:

Heavy duty inflatable boats having residual buoyancy and stability

The surface of the water in the tank to be calm

The expected rise of water within the tank should not exceed 0.25 m

Water level to be stationary or falling

23Personal Safety

Rafting

► The tank must contain clean ballast with NO sheen

► All conditions for the entry of confined spaces should be observed

► At no time should the water level be allowed to be within 1 m from the deepest under deck web

► Common venting & IG systems to be blanked

► Safety meeting to be conducted prior to entry

► Additional requirements

Lines of communication to be established

Adequate safety lighting

Raft tethered to the ladder

Person on the ladder sighting the raft at all times

All raft personnel with lifejackets

Rescue equipment immediately available