Question 1

A rating due to go aloft has just come off an 8-hour cargo watch and has had only 4 hours' rest in the last 16 hours, but volunteers because 'I'm fine, just send me up'. What is the correct response from the Chief Officer?

Accepted Answer

Decline to assign this rating to the height work task given the rest shortfall, and source another competent person or defer the task, regardless of the rating's willingness A worker's own self-assessment of fatigue is notoriously unreliable — fatigue itself impairs the ability to judge one's own impairment. The decision needs to be made on the objective rest record, not the individual's willingness or self-report.

Question 2

A MEWP is to be positioned on a deck area that has a slight slope and is partially covered in oil residue from a recent transfer. What should happen before the MEWP is deployed?

Accepted Answer

The deck area should be cleaned and the slope/level checked against the MEWP's rated operating limits before deployment; if outside those limits, a different position or method should be used Oil residue reduces outrigger/wheel grip and a slope beyond the manufacturer's rated limit can cause instability or tip-over — both must be addressed before deployment, not compensated for through operator caution alone.

Question 3

A crew member who is fully competent in standard harness/lanyard work-at-height procedures is asked to use a newly installed rigid rail climbing system on the mast for the first time, without any specific briefing on the new system. Is general height-work competency sufficient here?

Accepted Answer

No — the worker should receive a specific briefing/familiarisation on the rigid rail system's traveller mechanism, attachment/detachment points, and any system-specific limitations before first use Different fall-arrest systems have different mechanisms (e.g. how the traveller locks, how to pass intermediate brackets) — general competency with harnesses and lanyards does not automatically transfer to safe, correct use of an unfamiliar engineered system.