Accidental death on ships is tragic, wasteful and distressing, especially when following the correct procedures, or having the right equipment could have avoided the death. So much has been said about enclosed spaces that it would seem there is nothing left to say. There are many booklets, posters, videos, ISM statements and safety meetings; so why are people still dying?


The initial problem with enclosed spaces is in the definition and the difficulty of people to realise that in fact, the entire ship is one huge enclosed space divided up into many separate spaces.


We also have to allow for the changing nature of some of the spaces. In bad weather vents on the forecastle and sometimes the main deck will be covered. In this way spaces that are normally safe and entered without second thought now become hazardous, and more so dependant on what is stored there and how it affects the oxygen in the compartment. There are numerous cases of ships sailing


for weeks without opening their hatch access cofferdams. Even the main deck becomes an, ‘enclosed space’ for definition of heavier than air gases that can escape on some types of vessels.


The human being requires an atmosphere of 20.93% Oxygen and 79.04% Nitrogen with the remainder being Carbon di-oxide. Any space that has less that 20.8% oxygen is a potential hazard that could eventually be fatal to any human. Now as we know, most substances give off gases of some kind or other, even the bulkheads of an empty space can do this through rust and paint, therefore any space that has been closed for some time without any ventilation must be considered as a hazard.


Perhaps one day all compartments which have no permanent natural ventilation will be fitted with a gas detection meter that will show the reading from the outside in order that it can be checked before anyone enters, but until then we are presently reliant on a rigid safety


assessment system being in place to ensure that this check is made.


The principle must be that all spaces that have been closed for any period of time, especially those with seals such as tanks, stores with weather or storm doors are potentially dangerous.


The most difficult spaces are the double bottom tanks. These are similar to a coalmine with the added difficulty of an obstacle course. They are unlit, often mud covered,, honeycombed with steel subdivisions that separate the tanks into small separate compartments with often only four to five feet head room, barely enough space to turn around and each one entered through holes of around 18 inches in diameter. On larger vessels these spaces can span hundreds of feet.


Also in such tanks the problem of rust which depletes the oxygen exists. Not just large ships either. One 500 dwt ship took 5 tons of rust out of two after ballast tanks while engaged in cleaning the tanks.


The most


difficult spaces are the double bottom tanks.


These are similar to a coalmine with the added difficulty of an obstacle course.


The Report • March 2017 • Issue 79 | 55


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