Question 1

Two crew members are inside a ballast tank completing a coating inspection. The standby man stationed at the hatch is asked by a visiting port official to come down to the gangway to interpret — "just for two minutes." The men inside say "we're nearly done, we'll be fine."

What must happen?

Accepted Answer

Work inside the space must be suspended and the crew evacuated before the standby man leaves his post. A standby man with split duties is not a standby man. No exceptions The standby man's sole duty is observation and rescue coordination — the moment they accept another task, that duty ceases to exist. If an incapacitation occurs in the two minutes they are absent, there will be no one to raise the alarm or initiate rescue. The "we'll be fine" assurance from inside the space has no safety value — an incapacitated person cannot self-report. Evacuate; send the standby man; re-enter with a replacement standby on post.

Question 2

The bosun approaches you — the duty officer — and says he needs to "pop into the pump room for two minutes" to check the bilge level. The gas meter is on charge. No permit has been raised. He says he knows the space well and has done this dozens of times.

What is your response?

Accepted Answer

Stop him. No entry is permitted without a valid atmosphere test and an authorised Enclosed Space Entry permit, regardless of familiarity with the space or duration of entry Familiarity and brevity are the two most lethal attitudes in enclosed space entry. The pump room atmosphere can change in seconds from an undetected gas source. A permit and atmosphere test are mandatory before any entry — COSWP Ch.17 and SOLAS XI-1/7 make no exception for "quick checks". The majority of ESE fatalities involve spaces the victim entered regularly without incident.

Question 3

Pre-entry atmosphere test at the manhole opening of a cargo hold: O₂ 20.5%, LEL 0%, H₂S 0 ppm, CO 0 ppm. The bosun says "It's fine — readings are all in range, let's go in." The hold contained a grain cargo and has been empty for 18 days.

What additional step is essential before entry proceeds?

Accepted Answer

The atmosphere must also be tested at lower levels within the space — at working depth and at the bottom. A safe reading at the entry point does not guarantee safe conditions deeper in the hold Gases heavier than air (CO₂, H₂S) pool at the bottom of cargo holds. Grain cargo self-heats and consumes O₂ through biological activity — the dangerous zone may be the bottom metre of an apparently safe space. COSWP requires testing at multiple levels, especially in spaces with a known biological or chemical cargo history. Testing only at the hatch is a common precursor to fatalities.