Falling Overboard
Personal Flotation Devices
If the deck of a barge or work platform is not equipped with an OSHA-compliant railing system, employees walking or working on deck must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket or buoyant work vest, also called a life preserver or personal flotation device (PFD). These PFDs should be fully buckled, snapped, or zipped whenever there is a hazard of falling into the water, regardless of the size of the barge.
While a PFD is not required to be worn while an employee is inside an enclosed cab or equipment compartment on a barge, each employee should have a PFD accessible to them at all times. This safety precaution will allow employees the opportunity to don a PFD in a reasonable amount of time during an emergency (i.e., vessel sinking, fire, etc.).
Uninspected Vessels
Life preservers and other lifesaving equipment requirements include:
- An approved and readily available PFD is required to be on board the vessel for each individual on board. An immersion/exposure suit is considered to be an acceptable substitute for a PFD. All lifesaving equipment designed to be worn is required to be readily available and in serviceable condition.
- Each vessel 26 feet or longer must have at least one approved ring life buoy which is immediately available. All lifesaving equipment designed to be thrown into the water is required to be immediately available and in serviceable condition.
- An approved commercial hybrid PFD is acceptable if it is:
- worn when the vessel is underway and the intended wearer is not within an enclosed space
- labeled for use on uninspected commercial vessels
- used as marked and in accordance with the owner's manual
- An approved light is required for all PFDs and immersion/exposure suits. Also, all PFDs must have approved retro-reflective material installed.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
3-1. How many personal flotation devices (PFD) are required to be readily available on a vessel if there are 6 employees working on board?
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