OSHA 30 Maritime key terms

The federal law that created OSHA and gave the agency authority to set and enforce workplace safety standards. It covers most private employers, including shipyards, marine terminals, and longshoring operations, and grants workers specific protection rights.

The General Duty Clause. It requires employers to furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm, even when no specific standard addresses that hazard. It is used when no exact rule applies.

The four sets of OSHA rules for maritime work: 1915 for shipyard employment, 1917 for marine terminals, 1918 for longshoring, and 1919 for commercial diving. Each part lists required safeguards, training, and equipment for that type of work.

Work covered by 29 CFR 1915, including shipbuilding, ship repair, shipbreaking, and related activities such as scaling, painting, and rigging on vessels. It applies to shipyard employees and to other workers exposed to shipyard hazards.

A wharf, pier, or similar structure where vessels load and unload cargo. The term also covers adjacent areas used for handling freight, including buildings, sheds, and rail or truck loading areas, which fall under 29 CFR 1917.

The loading, unloading, moving, and handling of cargo aboard vessels and on adjacent piers, under 29 CFR 1918. It includes work with cranes, slings, and cargo gear, and covers hazards from suspended loads, falls, and moving equipment.

A person who can identify existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions and who has authority to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. Many maritime standards require inspections or decisions by a competent person.

A person who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or by extensive knowledge, training, and experience, has demonstrated the ability to solve or resolve problems relating to a specific subject or work.

The process of identifying conditions or practices in the workplace that could cause injury, illness, or damage. It relies on walkaround inspections, job hazard analysis, incident review, and worker reports before an accident occurs.

The action taken to eliminate or control a hazard, such as removing it, guarding it, changing procedures, or supplying protective equipment. Abatement should be prompt and documented, and interim controls are used until a permanent fix is in place.

A ranked approach to reducing risk, from most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment. Maritime employers should try higher-level controls before relying on PPE or procedures alone.

A step-by-step review of a task that identifies hazards in each step and the controls needed to reduce them. It is often used before new or non-routine maritime work, such as rigging a heavy lift or entering a tank.

Equipment worn or used by a worker to reduce exposure to hazards, such as hard hats, safety glasses, gloves, respirators, and fall protection. Employers must provide required PPE at no cost and ensure it fits and is maintained.

Systems and practices that prevent falls from heights or arrest them safely, including guardrails, safety nets, personal fall arrest systems, and safe access ladders. Maritime work near hatch openings, scaffolds, and vessel edges requires fall protection.

A lifeline is a flexible line used to connect a worker's harness to an anchor. An anchorage point is the secure structure to which the system attaches. Both must be inspected and strong enough to withstand fall forces.

An enclosed or partially enclosed space with limited entry and exit, not designed for continuous occupancy, such as a tank, void, or hold. Shipyard rules require testing, ventilation, attendant monitoring, and permits before entry.

A confined space that contains or may contain a hazardous atmosphere, engulfment, or other serious safety or health hazard. Entry requires a written permit, pre-entry testing, an attendant, and rescue arrangements.

Measuring the air inside a space for oxygen content, flammable gases or vapors, and toxic substances before and during entry. Testing must be done by a qualified person with calibrated instruments, and results must be recorded.

A procedure for isolating hazardous energy, such as electricity, steam, or hydraulic pressure, before servicing equipment. Workers apply locks and tags to energy-isolating devices so machinery cannot start or release stored energy unexpectedly.

Energy held in a system after its main power source is shut off, such as pressure in a line, tension in a spring, or a suspended load. It must be released or blocked before work begins to prevent sudden movement or release.

Equipment used to lift, move, or secure cargo, including cranes, derricks, winches, slings, shackles, and hooks. It must be inspected, rated for the load, and used within its safe working limits.

A required check of slings, shackles, hooks, and other rigging before use to find damage, wear, or missing tags. Defective gear must be removed from service, and inspections are often documented by a competent person.

The maximum load a piece of lifting equipment or rigging is designed to handle safely under normal conditions. It is marked on the gear, and exceeding it can cause failure, dropped loads, and serious injury.

The risk of a worker falling into water at a pier, barge, or vessel. Controls include guardrails, life rings, retrieval equipment, and personal flotation devices where required, plus a rescue plan.

A Coast Guard-approved life jacket or buoyant vest worn to keep a worker afloat if they fall into water. It must fit properly, be in good condition, and be worn where the standard or employer requires it.

The OSHA requirement to inform workers about chemical hazards through labels, safety data sheets, and training. Maritime workers encounter paints, solvents, fuels, and cleaning agents that require this information and proper handling.

A document that describes a chemical's hazards, safe handling, first aid, and protective measures. Employers must keep these sheets accessible to workers, and workers should review them before using an unfamiliar product.

An unplanned event that did not cause injury or damage but had the potential to do so. Reporting and investigating near misses helps employers find and fix hazards before a more serious incident occurs.

A work-related injury or illness that must be entered on the employer's OSHA log because it involves death, days away from work, restricted work, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness. Recording rules have specific criteria.

Rights that include receiving safety training, obtaining hazard information, reviewing injury records, requesting inspections, and being protected from retaliation for raising safety concerns. These rights apply without regard to immigration status.

Legal protection that prohibits employers from firing, demoting, or otherwise punishing workers for exercising safety rights, such as reporting hazards or filing a complaint. Retaliation claims are investigated by OSHA.

Duties that include providing a safe workplace, complying with standards, supplying required PPE and training, keeping records, and posting required notices. Employers must also report certain fatalities and severe injuries to OSHA.

The process by which a worker or representative asks OSHA to inspect a workplace. A complaint can be filed online, by phone, by mail, or in person, and the worker may request that their name be kept confidential.

A workplace examination by an OSHA compliance officer to determine whether standards are being followed. Inspections may be triggered by complaints, referrals, programmed schedules, or serious incidents, and workers have the right to participate.

A worker or union representative chosen by employees to accompany the OSHA compliance officer during an inspection. The representative helps point out hazards and observe conditions, and employers may not retaliate against them.

A condition in which a worker faces a reasonable expectation of death or serious physical harm before the hazard can be removed through normal enforcement. OSHA treats these reports as top priority and may seek immediate correction.