Before personnel work at height on or near a lifeboat davit (e.g. fall wire inspection, davit arm maintenance), what isolation/control measure is essential?

A. No isolation is needed since lifeboats are not powered equipment

B. The davit's winch should be isolated/locked out and the release mechanism secured against inadvertent operation, in addition to standard fall protection for the worker

C. Isolation is only required if the lifeboat is currently in the water

D. Only a sign reading 'Men Working' is required, with no mechanical isolation

A. Yes, but only if the Master personally watches from the bridge wing

B. No — lone height work should not be authorised regardless of experience or task duration; the Master should direct that the task wait for an observer to be available or be carried out by an alternative method

C. Yes, provided the AB carries a personal locator beacon

D. Yes, given the AB's experience and the short duration of the task

A. Wait for the battery to be replaced before taking any action, with the worker remaining in position

B. Continue observing visually and assume everything is fine since the worker hasn't signalled distress

C. Shout instructions down to the worker and consider that sufficient going forward

D. Treat the loss of communication as a trigger to pause the task and recover the worker, since the absence of an agreed backup method means there is no reliable way to receive an instruction or distress call