Guide to WSH Obligations for Shipmasters and Contractors for ...

Guide to WSH Obligationsfor Shipmasters and Contractorsfor Anchorage Works

ContentsSection 1Master's Obligations under the Workplace Safety and Health Act1. Foreword 22. Introduction 23. Contractors 24. General Works 25. Safety Group (VSCC Equivalent) 45.1 Composition5.2 Function6. Confined Spaces 56.1 Control of entry into confined space6.2 Other confined space issues7. Work at Height 68. Lifting/ Hoisting 79. Scaffolds 710. Drowning Hazard 711. Emergency Response 712. Incident Reporting 813. More Useful Links 8Section 2Contractor's Obligations under the Workplace Safety and Health Act14. Foreword 915. General Works 916. Risk Management 917. Confined Spaces 1018. Incident Reporting 1019. More Useful Links 111

Master's Obligations under the Workplace Safety and Health Act1. ForewordDear Shipmaster,The Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act is a critical component of the WSH framework that wasdeveloped to raise and improve the occupational safety and health standards in Singapore.It requires all stakeholders (including owner/master/agent) to do their part by taking reasonably practicablesteps to ensure the safety and health of every person at work.As you will be hiring the services of local contractors to work on board your vessel in Singapore, this guidewill provide guidance on carrying out these works safely.A list of links to relevant Legislation and Codes of Practice is also provided at the end of this guide for yourreference.Thank you.2. IntroductionGood WSH requires the co-operation and concerted efforts of all stakeholders. The aim of this guide is toprovide information and guidance to meet the requirements of the WSH Act and its subsidiary legislations.To ensure the safety and health of persons working on board ships, all stakeholders must carry out theirroles and responsibilities, and carry out work safely.3. ContractorsWhen contractors board your ship to perform work, you and the contractors should discuss the following:• Potential hazards on the vessel that may affect them and potential hazards that may be createddue to their work;• Control measures to mitigate risks;• Safety data sheets of chemicals found on your vessel and/or used by the contractor;• Safety rules and standard operating procedures that will affect either party; and• Shipboard emergency procedures should be clearly briefed to the contractor prior to startwork, means of escape and emergency exits are to be highlighted.4. General Works• Ensure that the Commissioner for WSH has been notified by the masters/agent/owner forthe circumstances listed below under the WSH (Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing)Regulations• Appoint Ship Repair Manager• Ensure contractors have controlled the work risks to as low as practicable• Implement control measures to prevent persons from falling into water or rescuing suchpersons2

For general types of works, the Ships’ Owner/Master must do the following.i. Ensure that the Masters/Agent/Owner has notified the Commissioner for WSH three days inadvance, before any work listed under the WSH (Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing) Regulations isdone such as:• Construction, re-construction, repair, refitting, painting, finishing or furnishing of a ship;• Scaling, scurfing or cleaning of boilers (including combustion chambers and smoke boxes) inthe ship;• Cleaning of any tanks, bilges or holds in a ship; and• Survey or inspection of a ship or its contents not carried out by the ships’ crew.ii.Appoint an appropriate Ship Repair Manager that has received adequate training in WSH so that hecan:• Take the lead and co-ordinate all activities relating to the repair on board the ship;• Ensure that no work is done on the ship without approval;• Issue, monitor and revoke permits to work (PTW) for hazardous work. PTW is a form ofadministrative control to identify potential risks involved before the work is being carried out;• Ensure that the master/owner/agent appoints a safety assessor for hazardous work;• Ensure that no hazardous work is to be carried out without a PTW;Types of high-risk work that require a PTW(a) Work that involves the use of any hazardous, volatile, corrosive orflammable chemical, material or solvent in significant quantities(b) Work involving entry into any confined space(c) Spray painting work(d) Grit-blasting work carried out in a confined space(e) Testing or dismantling of any pipe or equipment that• Contains or had contained oil or substances that are flammable,toxic or corrosive; or• Contains steam(f) Bunkering and transferring of fuel oil(g) Radiography work(h) Other works that the Commissioner for WSH may have written to theoccupier of the shipyard, master, owner or agent of the ship, oremployer or principal of the person carrying out the workFor the further details on the PTW system, refer to clauses 17 to 26 of the WSH(Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing) Regulations.• Issue and review hot-work permits (HWP) on a daily basis and revoke them where necessary;• Hot work should only be done when there are no alternatives;• Ensure that the safety assessor has given clearance for the hot work to proceed;• Assign a fire watchman who has been trained in fire fighting and equipped with appropriatefire fighting equipment to keep watch over each hot work area; and• Ensure that hot work areas are marked out and free from hazardous substances.3

6.2 Other confined space issuesFor confined spaces that contain any substance that is under greater pressure than the atmosphericpressure, the responsible person must:• Cover the entrance to the confined space unless it has been depressurised and made safe to remainopened;• Barricade or guard the opening to the confined space if the cover has been removed; and• Provide sufficient and suitable lighting for entry or work; and provide and maintain adequate andeffective ventilation for entry and work in the confined spaces.The air supplied for ventilation must be free of contaminants and directed to the area where the personwho is or will be working in the confined space. If the exhaust ventilation is used, the exhaust air must beemitted outside of the confined space where it does not harm anyone.For more safety advice and practices for on-board confined spaces safety, refer to the Code ofSafe Working Practices for Merchant Seamen from The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA),(UK):http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga07-home/workingatsea/mcga-healthandsafety/mcga-dqsshs-health_and_safety.htmAdditionally, useful signs and forms can be found at:http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga07-home/workingatsea/mcga-healthandsafety/mcga-dqsshs-health_and_safety/mcga-coswp.htm7. Work at HeightA Fall Prevention Plan is a documented plan prepared for the purpose of reducing or eliminating risk of fallson board the ship. This includes the following elements.a) Policy for fall preventionb) Responsibilitiesc) Risk Managementd) Control measures/methodse) Proceduresf) Personal fall prevention and protection equipmentg) Inspection and maintenanceh) Trainingi) Incident investigationsj) Emergency preparednessAdditionally, a PTW is required for work at height activities where a person may fall from a height of morethan three metres. The PTW must be endorsed by a work at height safety assessor after conducting anassessment and inspection of the work to be carried out. The safety assessor must ensure that all works willbe carried out safely with regards to all persons who may be affected.The safety assessor will submit the PTW to the authorised manager who will then issue the PTW afterensuring that a proper risk evaluation has been conducted, no incompatible works have been planned to becarried out at the same time and location. In addition, all reasonably practicable measures will or have been6

taken to ensure the safety and health of the persons carrying out the work and they have been informed ofthe associated hazards.Refer to the WSH (Work at Heights) Regulations and the Code of Practice for Working Safely atHeight for more details.8. Lifting/HoistingAll lifting operations must be carried out by competent persons and a lifting plan that provides guidance tothe lifting team in conducting a safe lifting operation must be implemented. Mobile cranes and tower cranescan only be operated by registered crane operators. Additionally, a lifting supervisor must be appointed andhe must be present to supervise the entire lifting operation and ensure that the operations adhere to thelifting plan and safe work procedures.Refer to the WSH (Operation of Cranes) Regulations and the Code of Practice on Safe LiftingOperations in the Workplaces for more information.9. ScaffoldsOnly an approved scaffold contractor can construct, erect, install, re-position, alter, maintain, repair ordismantle any scaffold, unless it is an excluded scaffold.An excluded scaffold refers to:(a) A tower scaffold;(b) A trestle scaffold; or(c) A scaffold (besides a suspended scaffold, hanging scaffold or a scaffold erected on cantilever or jibsupports) when completed (excluding the handrails and their supports at the uppermost lift of the scaffold)is less than four metres in height.Additionally, anyone involved in scaffold works must be equipped with proper personal protectiveequipment (PPE) such as a safety harness and secured anchorage.Refer to the WSH (Scaffold) Regulations for more details.10. Drowning HazardDue to the conditions on board vessels, it is important that there are measures in place to prevent personsfrom falling into water. For example, secure handholds and footholds, safe working positions, safetyharnesses and travel restraint belts.In addition, it is required under the WSH (General Provisions) Regulations to provide equipment and othermeans of rescuing and resuscitating a drowning person, such as a life jacket or other equipment that willhelp to keep the person afloat in the water/sea.7

• Evaluate the risk level by assessing the potential risk severity and likelihood• Eliminate or reduce risks to as low as reasonably practicable by selecting and implementing controlmeasures by following the hierarchy of risk control:o Elimination;o Substitution;o Engineering Control;o Administrative Control (including Safe Work Procedures); ando PPE.• Provide your workers with adequate instruction, information, training and supervision for their tasksso that they are aware of the risks, control measures and safe work procedures to be implemented• Inform anyone who can be affected of the risks and control measures• Provide appropriate PPE to workers• Keep records of risk assessments including:o Results or findings recorded in risk assessment forms;o Risk control measures taken or to be taken; ando Any safe work procedures.• Review and revise if necessary the risk assessment every three years or when there are:o Accidents, near misses or dangerous occurrences as a result of exposure to a hazard;o Significant change in processes, facilities, work practices or procedures, or change inworkplace condition and site layout; oro New information on WSH risks is made known.Refer to the Code of Practice for Risk Management for more details on risk management:https://www.wshc.sg/wps/PA_InfoStop/download/RMCP_final.pdf?folder=IS2011020100649&file=RMCP_final.pdf17. Confined SpacesConfined spaces are very hazardous work areas if the work is not planned and managed properly. Theyrequire special attention under the WSH (Confined Space) Regulations.• Follow all PTW procedures that are put in place by the vessel.• Ensure that the confined space is safe for entry by conducting gas testing bya confined space safetyassessor.• Ensure that all persons entering the confined space are adequately trained and rescue plans havebeen put in place by the vessel.18. Incident ReportingIt is required under the WSH (Incident Reporting) Regulations to report any incident or accident using thewebsite www.mom.gov.sg/ireport as soon as reasonably practicable when there is:• An accident that leads to the death of any worker; or• A dangerous occurrence.You are thereby required to report within 10 days if there is:10

• An injury that results in medical/sick leave of more than three consecutive days granted by aregistered medical practitioner; or• An injury that results in the person to be hospitalised for at least 24 hours.You will need to report as soon as reasonably practicable if the injury becomes fatal subsequently.Additionally, a report must be submitted through www.mom.gov.sg/ireport within 10 days of theoccurrence or upon receiving a written statement prepared by a registered medical practitioner fordiagnosis of an occupational disease. Every report is required to be filed/kept for three years after the reporthas been made.For more details, visit the MOM website on incident reporting:http://www.mom.gov.sg/workplace-safety-health/incident-reporting/Pages/default.aspxFor details on what can be considered a dangerous occurrence, visit:http://www.mom.gov.sg/workplace-safety-health/incident-reporting/Pages/types-ofworkplace-incidents.aspx#dangerous19. More Useful LinksMinistry of Manpower – Relevant Legislationhttp://www.mom.gov.sg/legislation/occupational-safety-health/Pages/default.aspxMinistry of Manpower – Incident Reportinghttp://www.mom.gov.sg/ireportWorkplace Safety and Health Council – Code of Practice on WSH Risk Managementhttps://www.wshc.sg/wps/portal/resources?action=detailedInfoStop&fInfoStopID=IS2011020100649Workplace Safety and Health Council – Code of Practice for Working Safely at Heightshttps://www.wshc.sg/wps/portal/resources?action=detailedInfoStop&fInfoStopID=IS2010040500157Workplace Safety and Health Council – Confined Space Resourceshttps://www.wshc.sg/wps/portal/confinedSpaceResources?openMenu=111