22.1 General Requirements
(1) Vessels shall comply with the requirements of Annex O and those of the
Administration.
(2) Vessels shall comply with the requirements of Annex B and those of the
Administration.
22.2 Deckhouses and Superstructures
(1) The structural strength of any deckhouse or superstructure shall comply with the
requirements of a Recognised Organisation, as appropriate to the vessel and its
areas of operation.
22.3 Bulwarks and Guardrails
(1) Bulwarks and/or guardrails on all accessible decks shall be 1000 millimetres high
except that on vessels built to 1959 Load Line Rules these may be 915 millimetres
high. Any opening shall not exceed 380 millimetres. Where no bulwarks are fitted, or
bulwark height is less than 230 millimetres, the lowest opening shall not exceed 230
millimetres. They shall be supported at intervals not exceeding 2.2 metres.
Intermediate courses of rails or wires shall be evenly spaced.
(2) Satisfactory means (in the form of guard rails, life lines, gangways or underdeck
passages, etc.) shall be provided for the protection of the crew in getting to and
from their quarters, the machinery space and all other areas used in the necessary
work of the craft.
(3) Where Sun Pads are located within 600mm of any Bulwarks and / or
Guardrails, the minimum height of the Bulwark and / or Guardrails shall be at least
1m above the surface of the Sun Pad (taken as the height of the Sun Pad + 50% of the
thickness of the mattress). This requirement does not apply to bench seating or any
other horizontal surfaces, which persons would not reasonably be expected to step or
stand on
(4) Where the function of the vessel would be impeded by the provision of
bulwarks and/or guard rails complying with (1), alternative proposals detailed to
provide equivalent safety for persons on deck shall be submitted to the
Administration for approval, where recognised national or international standards
may be accepted as equivalence.
(5) The structural strength of any bulwarks or guardrails shall comply
with the requirements of a Recognised Organisation, or a recognised international
standard as appropriate to the vessel and its areas of operation.
22.4 Noise
(1) All new vessels of 1600GT and above, unless the Administration deems
that compliance with a particular provision is unreasonable or impractical, shall be
constructed to reduce onboard noise and to protect personnel from the noise in
accordance with the IMO Code on noise levels onboard ships, adopted by
the IMO Maritime Safety Committee by resolution MSC.337(91), as may be amended by the IMO.
(2) For new vessels under 1600GT, attention is drawn to the IMO Code on noise levels
onboard ships, adopted by the IMO Maritime Safety Committee by resolution MSC.337(91) as amended. Vessels covered by this Code shall meet the
requirements so far as is reasonable and practicable.
(3) For all existing vessels, the IMO Code on Noise
Levels Onboard Ships promotes the control of noise within the framework
of internationally agreed guidelines, whilst recommending methods of measuring noise
at listening posts.
(4) For safe navigation, it is important that sound signals and VHF communications
can be heard, at the navigating position in normal operating conditions.
(5) For machinery spaces, workshops and stores which are manned either continuously
or for lengthy periods, the recommended limits are 90dB(A) for machinery spaces and
85dB(A) for workshops and stores.
For machinery spaces which are not intended to be continuously manned or are attended
for short periods only, the recommended limits are 110dB(A).
The limits have been set from hearing damage risk considerations and the use of
suitable ear protectors.
(6) To indicate the need to wear ear protectors, safety signs, signs with symbols and
supplementary warning notices shall be displayed at all entrances to spaces in which
the noise level exceeds 85dB(A).
22.5 Additional Equivalence Considerations
(1) None