Maritime Industry Hazards and Standards
Domain 2: Maritime Industry Hazards and Standards
This domain tests hazard recognition and the standard that controls it in shipyards, marine terminals, and longshoring. Questions often describe a task - tank entry, hot work, crane lift, scaffold - and ask for the required control, the responsible person, or the trigger for stopping work.
Hazard families and controls
- Confined spaces: 29 CFR 1915.12 requires testing before entry and a permit. Oxygen must be at least 19.5% (and not enriched); flammables must be below 10% of the lower flammable limit; toxics must be below exposure limits. An attendant and rescue plan are required. Hot work adds a fire watch and permit.
- Falls: guardrails, covers, and personal fall arrest systems under 1915.159; gangways and ladders must be secured. A broken guardrail is a stop-work condition, not a minor housekeeping item.
- Hazardous energy: 1915.89 lockout/tagout requires isolation, verification, and lock/tag by each exposed worker.
- Rigging and cranes: slings, hooks, and shackles are inspected; defective gear is removed from service. A broken hook latch or wire rope damage takes the gear out of service.
- PPE and respiratory protection: employers select PPE based on hazard assessment and provide it at no cost.
Worked example
A shipyard worker is assigned to inspect a ballast tank. The oxygen meter reads 18.2% at the opening. Entry is prohibited: 1915.12 requires the atmosphere to be tested and safe before entry, and 18.2% is oxygen-deficient. The correct sequence is to ventilate, retest, issue a confined-space permit, assign an attendant, and confirm rescue arrangements. If the worker enters because a supervisor says "just take a quick look," both the entry and the supervisor's instruction violate the standard.
Traps
- Using 1910.146's 23.5% oxygen ceiling for shipyard work where 1915.12 applies.
- Treating a permit as a substitute for testing; test results must support the permit.
- Testing once and not monitoring continuously when conditions can change.
- Forgetting the attendant or rescue plan.
- Keeping damaged rigging in service because "it still lifts."