| Means of Access |
General |
 Merchant
Shipping Regulations place an obligation on both the
Master of a ship and the employer of the master to
ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that there
is a safe means of access between the ship and the shore
or another ship. Where the provision of equipment is
necessary to achieve safe means of access it must be
placed in position promptly, be properly rigged and
deployed, safe to use and adjusted as necessary to
maintain safety of access. The access equipment and
immediate approaches must be adequately illuminated. In
carrying out these duties full account must be taken of
the principles and the guidance described in this Web
Page. When the
access equipment is provided from the shore it is still
the responsibility of the Master to ensure as far as is
reasonably practicable that the equipment is suitable,
properly rigged and deployed, and adequately illuminated. When
suitable access equipment is provided from the ship or
from the shore or from another ship, any person boarding
or leaving the ship must use that equipment. |
| Standards of Construction |
| Gangways
must be carried on ships of 30 metres or over and
accommodation ladders must be carried on ships of 120
metres or over, complying with the specifications in
Sections below. Access equipment must be of good
construction, sound material and adequate strength, free
from patent defect and properly maintained. Gangways and
accommodation ladders must be clearly marked with the
manufacturer's name, the model number the maximum
designed angle of use and the maximum safe loading both
by number of persons and by total weight.
Accommodation ladders must be fitted with suitable
fencing along their entire length, except that fencing at
the bottom platform may allow access from the outboard
side. When a
bulwark ladder is to be used it must comply with the
specifications set out in the Shipbuilding Industry
Standard No SIS 7, or be of an equivalent standard.
Adequate fittings must be provided to enable the bulwark
ladder to be properly and safely secured. A rope
ladder must be of adequate width and length and so
constructed that it can be efficiently secured to the
ship. The steps must provide a slip resistant foothold of
not less than 400 mm x 115 mm and must be so secured that
they are firmly held against twist, turnover or tilt. The
steps must be equally spaced at intervals of 310 mm (± 5
mm). Ladders of more than 1.5 metres in length must be
fitted with spreaders not less than 1.8 metres long. The
lowest spreader must be on the fifth step from the bottom
and the interval between spreaders must not exceed nine
steps. |
| Maintenance |
| Any
equipment used for the provision of means of access and
any safety net must be properly maintained. All access
equipment should be inspected by a competent person at
appropriate intervals. Any defects affecting the safety
of any access equipment, including access provided by a
shore authority, should be reported immediately to a
responsible person and should be made good before further
use. No access
equipment should be painted or treated in such a way as
to conceal any cracks or defects. Aluminium
equipment should be examined for corrosion in accordance
with the instructions in Section 'Corrosion of
Accommodation Ladders and Gangways'. |
| Positioning of Access Equipment |
| The
angles of inclination of a gangway or accommodation
ladder should be kept within the limits of which it was
designed. Gangways should not be used at an angle of
inclination greater than 30° from the horizontal and
accommodation ladders should not be used at an angle
greater than 55° from below the horizontal, unless
specifically designed for greater angles. When the
inboard end of the gangway or accommodation ladder rests
on or is flush with the top of the bulwark, a bulwark
ladder should be provided. Any gap between the bulwark
ladder and the gangway or accommodation ladder should be
adequately fenced to a height of at least 1 metre. Gangways and
other access equipment should not be rigged on ships'
rails unless the rail has been reinforced for the
purpose. The means of
access should be checked that it is safe to use after
rigging. There should be further checks to ensure that
adjustments are made when necessary due to tidal
movements or change of trim and freeboard. Guard ropes,
chains etc. should be kept taut at all times and
stanchions should be rigidly secured. Each end of
a gangway or accommodation or other ladder should provide
safe access to a safe place or to an auxiliary safe
access. The means of
access should be sited clear of the cargo working area
and so placed that no suspended load passes over it.
Where this is not practicable, access should be
supervised at all times. |
| Lighting and Safety of Movement |
| In
normal circumstances, the whole means of access and the
immediate approaches to it should be effectively
illuminated from the ship or the shore to at least a
level of 20 lux, as measured at a height of 1 metre above
the surface of the means of access or its immediate
approaches. Where the dangers of tripping or falling are
greater than usual because of bad weather conditions or
where the means of access is obscured, e.g. by the
presence of coal dust, consideration should be given to a
higher minimum level of say 30 lux. The means of
access and its immediate approaches should be kept free
from obstruction and, as far as reasonably practicable,
kept clear of any substance likely to cause a person to
slip or fall. Where this is not possible, appropriate
warning notices should be posted and if necessary the
surfaces suitably treated. |
| Portable and Rope Ladders |
| A
portable ladder must be used for the purpose of access to
the ship only where no safer means of access is
reasonably practicable and a rope ladder must be used
only for the purpose of access between a ship with high
freeboard and a ship with low freeboard or a ship and a
boat and where no safer means of access is reasonably
practicable. When it is
necessary to use a portable ladder for access it should
be used at an angle of between 60° and 75° from the
horizontal. The ladder should extend at least 1 metre
above the upper landing place unless there are other
suitable handholds. It should be properly secured against
slipping or shifting sideways or falling and be so placed
as to afford a clearance of at least 150 mm behind the
rungs. When a
portable ladder is resting against a bulwark or rails,
suitable safe access to the deck as recommended in
previous paragraph should be provided. A rope
ladder should never be secured to rails or to any other
means of support unless the rails or support are so
constructed and fixed as to take the weight of a man and
a ladder with an ample margin of safety. A rope
ladder should be left in such a way that it either hangs
fully extended from a securing point or is pulled up
completely. It should not be left so that any slack will
suddenly pay out when the ladder is used. |
| Safety Nets |
| An
adequate number of safety nets of a suitable size and
strength are to be carried on the ship or otherwise be
readily available. Where there is a risk of a person
falling from the access equipment or from the quayside or
ship's deck adjacent to the access equipment, a safety
net shall be mounted where reasonably practicable. The
aim of safety nets is to minimize the risk of injury
arising from falling between the ship and quay or falling
onto the quay or deck and as far as reasonably
practicable the whole length of the means of access
should be covered. Safety nets should be securely rigged,
with use being made of attachment points on the quayside
where appropriate. |
| Life-buoys |
| A
life-buoy with a self-activating light and also a
separate buoyant safety line attached to a quoit or some
similar device must be provided ready for use at the
point of access aboard the ship. |
| Special Circumstances and General Guidance |
| In some
circumstances it may not be practicable to mount a proper
safe means of access by conventional means (because of,
for example, the frequent movement of the ship which is
sometimes necessary during loading to facilitate trimming
of the cargo, or because of the nature of the loading
operation itself). On such occasions access to the vessel
should be specially supervised and consideration given to
providing alternative means of access, for example, by
using shore access arrangements or by using the
accommodation ladder on the offshore side of the vessel
from which a suitable boat can convey persons safely to
and from the shore. Small boats
or tenders used to provide access between the shore and
the ship should be safe and stable, be suitably powered,
and be properly equipped with the necessary safety
equipment and, if not a ship's boat, be approved for that
purpose. They should not be used in unsuitable sea
conditions . Where a
vessel is moored alongside another vessel, there should
be co-operation between the two vessels in order to
provide suitable and safe access. Access should generally
be provided by the ship lying outboard, except that where
there is a great disparity in freeboard access should be
provided by the ship with the higher freeboard. In Ro-Ro and
ferry-type ships ramps which are used by vehicles should
not be used also for pedestrian access unless there is
suitable segregation of vehicles and pedestrians whether
by providing a suitably protected walkway or by ensuring
that pedestrians and vehicles do not use the ramp at the
same time. Care should
be taken at all times when boarding or leaving a ship.
Care should be taken also when moving through the dock
area, particularly at night. The edges of the docks,
quays etc. should be avoided and any sign prohibiting
entry to an area should be strictly observed. Where there
are designated routes they should be followed exactly and
this is especially important in the vicinity of container
terminals or other areas where rail traffic, straddle
carriers or other mechanical handling equipment is
operating, since the operators of such equipment have
restricted visibility and anyone walking within the
working area is at serious risk. |
| Corrosion of Accommodation Ladders and Gangways |
|
Aluminium alloys are highly susceptible to galvanic
corrosion in a marine atmosphere if they are used in
association with dissimilar metals. Great care should be
exercised when connecting mild steel fittings, whether or
not they are galvanized, to accommodation ladders and
gangways constructed of aluminium. Plugs and
joints of neoprene, or other suitable material, should be
used between mild steel fittings, washers, etc. and
aluminium. The plugs or joints should be significantly
larger than the fittings or washers. Repairs
using mild steel doublers or bolts made of mild steel or
a brass or other unsuitable material should be considered
as temporary. Permanent repairs, or the replacement of
the means of access, should be undertaken at the earliest
opportunity. The
manufacturer's instructions should give guidance on
examination and testing of the equipment. However, close
examination of certain parts of accommodation ladders and
gangways is difficult due to their fittings and
attachments. It is essential, therefore, that the
fittings are removed periodically for a thorough
examination of the parts most likely to be affected by
corrosion. Accommodation ladders and gangways should be
turned over to allow for a thorough examination of the
underside. Particular attention should be paid to the immediate perimeter of the fittings; this area should be tested for corrosion with a wire probe or scribe. Where the corrosion appears to have reduced the thickness of the parent metal to 3 mm, back plates should be fitted inside the stringers of the accommodation ladder or gangways. |
| Ends |
