Maritime Safety related Topics and Guidelines

Shipping is perhaps the most international of all the world's great industries and one of the most dangerous. It has always been recognized that the best way of improving safety at sea is by developing international regulations that are followed by all shipping nations.

IMO's first task when it came into being in 1959 was to adopt a new version of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the most important of all treaties dealing with maritime safety.

IMO has also developed and adopted international collision regulations and global standards for seafarers, as well as international conventions and codes relating to search and rescue, the facilitation of international maritime traffic, load lines, the carriage of dangerous goods and tonnage measurement.

The Maritime Safety Committee is IMO's senior technical body on safety-related matters. It is aided in its work by a number of Sub-Committees.

These pages are part of OSHA's commitment to provide employers and maritime workers with information and assistance to help in complying with OSHA standards and in ensuring a safe workplace.

• Maritime Standards and Guidance. OSHA. Links to maritime related standards, and to the OSHA Office of Maritime.

• Maritime Compliance Information. OSHA. Links to OSHA compliance information including directives, letters of interpretation, Review Commission decisions, crane certification, and to the OSHA Office of Maritime Enforcement.

• Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH). OSHA. MACOSH is a committee which provides additional viewpoints to OSHA on maritime safety issues. This page provides MACOSH contacts, workgroup assignments, meeting minutes, and recommendations.

• OSHA Maritime Outreach Training Program. OSHA has developed an OSHA Outreach Training Program for the Maritime industry. This new program builds on OSHA's successful Outreach Training Program platform to extend safety and health training to employees and employers in the maritime industry.

• Maritime Safety and Health Topics. OSHA. Provides access to maritime publications and training materials, as well as web pages addressing specific maritime topics.

Shipyard Employment. OSHA eTool. Shipyard work has traditionally been hazardous, with an injury-accident rate more than twice that of construction and general industry. OSHA has included the industry in its Strategic Plan to reduce injuries and illnesses and prevent fatalities. The eTool describes common hazards and possible solutions for tasks performed during the maritime industry's ship repair, shipbuilding, ship breaking, and barge cleaning processes.

Safety and Health Topics Related to Maritime

• Accident Investigation
• Asbestos
• Cadmium
• Commercial Diving
• Competent Persons
• Confined Spaces
• Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tag out)
• Crane, Derrick, and Hoist Safety
• Diesel Exhaust
• Electrical
• Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Ergonomics
• Fall Protection
• Hand and Power Tools
• Hazard Communication
• Hazardous and Toxic Substances
• Toxic Metals
• Isocyanides
• Lead
• Machine Guarding
• Medical and First Aid
• Metalworking Fluids
• Noise and Hearing Conservation
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Powered Industrial Trucks
• Respiratory Protection
• Safety and Health Programs
• Scaffolding
• Shipbuilding and Ship Repair
• Silica, Crystalline
• Solvents
• Spray Operations
• Ventilation
• Walking/Working Surfaces
• Welding, Cutting, and Brazing

Guidance Documents

• OSHA publishes Final Ergonomics Guidelines for Shipyards. OSHA Guidance Document, (2008, March).
• OSHA releases new guidance on traffic safety in marine terminals. OSHA Trade News Release, (2007, July 23).
• Traffic Safety in Marine Terminals. OSHA Guidance Document (Publication 3337-07), (2007).
• OSHA Guidance Update on Protecting Employees from Avian Flu (Avian Influenza) Viruses. OSHA Guidance Document (Publication 3323-10N), (2006). Also available as a 1 MB PDF, 76 pages.
• Radio Communication Can Assist Container Gantry Crane Operators in Marine Terminals. OSHA Fact Sheet, (2007, June). Also available as a 1 MB PDF, 2 pages.
• Abrasive Blasting Hazards in Shipyard Employment. OSHA Guidance Document, (2006, December).
• Marine Terminal Fall Protection for Personnel Platforms. OSHA Fact Sheet, (2006, June). Also available as a 222 KB PDF, 2 pages.
• Shipyard Fire Protection Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). OSHA, (2006, March). Also available as a 278 KB PDF, 10 pages.
• Safe Work Practices for Marine Hanging Staging. OSHA Guidance Document, (2005, April). Also available as a 1 MB PDF, 30 pages.
• Fire Protection in Shipyard Employment. OSHA Slide Presentation, 3 MB PPT^*, 66 slides.

An IMS (Integrated Management System) Certified Company