What are the health and safety features in the construction, reconstruction and renovation of vessels?
Certain specific types of work, in order to be carried out in a safe manner, must be carried out in compliance not only with the general health and safety regulations, but in the first place with specific regulations. Such works include works related to the construction, reconstruction and renovation of vessels. In their case, the provisions of the Regulation of the Minister of Economy of 30 May 2001 on occupational health and safety in the construction and reconstruction and renovation of vessels apply.
In recent days, there has been a lot of talk about vessels. Some float on the surface of the water, others function as intended between the surface and the bottom, still others as a result of the weave of certain circumstances sink. In some cases, sunken ships or ships can be lifted from the bottom, renovated and subjected to modernization works. In typical cases, however, what has sunk, especially at a considerable distance from the shore, remains there, becoming a habitat of underwater fauna and flora, being an attraction for divers. Unfortunately, it is also a ticking ecological bomb.
Apart from warships, in order to minimize the risk of unforeseen events involving vessels, as well as to ensure the safety of people involved in their construction reconstruction or renovation, it is necessary to refer not only to the basic principles of safe work resulting from the Labor Code or the Regulation on general health and safety regulations. Work on vessels, due to numerous threats, must be carried out first on the basis of the provisions of the Regulation of the Minister of Economy of 30 May 2001 on occupational health and safety in the construction and reconstruction and renovation of vessels.
The seemingly cited regulation may be of a niche nature, in particular by comparing it with such implementing acts as the Regulation on general health and safety regulations or the regulation on OSH training. However, the regulations for the construction of reconstruction and renovation of vessels are constantly controlled by inspectors of the National Labor Inspectorate. This, of course, applies to employers and non-employers who participate in the process of construction, reconstruction and repair of vessels.
The aforementioned regulation regulates health and safety requirements for the construction and reconstruction and renovation of vessels. However, it does not apply where the craft uses nuclear propulsion. Of course, this type of drive is not dominant. Thus, the Regulation applies to the vast majority of cases of work related to the construction, conversion and repair of both seagoing and inland vessels and special purpose vessels or facilities.
During the construction, repair and reconstruction of vessels, particularly dangerous works may take place. They are defined in a specific way in the aforementioned regulation – however, referring to the general principles in this respect.
Particularly dangerous works in the construction and reconstruction and renovation of vessels, within the meaning of general health and safety regulations, are works carried out in conditions of particular danger to the health and life of employees. At the time of their execution there is a danger:
- gas explosion,
- Strangulation
- Burns
- Poisoning
- electric shock,
- irradiation with radioactive substances,
- Drowning
- fall from a great height.
Interestingly, on the one hand, the provisions of the Regulation do not apply to nuclear-powered vessels. On the other hand, however, particularly dangerous work includes work during which there is a danger of irradiation with radioactive substances. It is probably the use of radiation generating devices referred to in Chapter 7 of the Regulation. It talks about working with the use of radioactive isotopes, laser devices and X-ray equipment.
The commented regulation regulates the general principles of health and safety relating, among others, to the issue of communication, documentation of the location of fire-fighting equipment, work burdensome to the environment, machines of other work tools, as well as proper lighting. The further part of the regulation is, in particular, fire-hazardous works, issues of internal transport, work at heights, energy installations and technical gases.
The legal basis for issuing a regulation on health and safety in the construction and reconstruction and renovation of vessels is the Labour Code. This means that compliance with the provisions of this detailed act can be verified by labor inspectors. Any deficiencies in the field of technical work safety will result in the issuance of administrative orders. Some of them will be able to be issued even before the inspection is completed. This applies to cases of imminent threat to the health and life of people participating in the work. The remaining orders will be timely. The inspector will have to be notified of the fact of their implementation. The lack of such a notification will make it much faster to carry out a verification inspection, which will begin with verification whether what the inspector ordered during the previous inspection has been properly implemented.
Projekt otrzymał dofinansowanie z Norwegii poprzez Fundusze Norweskie 2014-2021, w ramach programu „Dialog społeczny – godna praca”.