A crew member is about to use a safety wire for a gangway/accommodation ladder rigging task. The wire has a plastic coating and looks externally intact. Is a visual check of the outer coating sufficient to confirm this wire is safe to use for a safety-critical application?

A. No — plastic-coated wire can corrode internally without visible external signs, as identified in a real fatal MAIB-reported accident; periodic thorough inspection and consideration of uncoated or more inspectable alternatives for safety-critical applications should be considered

B. No, but only if the wire has previously been submerged in water

C. Yes — if the coating looks intact, the wire underneath must also be sound

D. Yes, provided the wire is less than 5 years old

A. The task always involved three crew members and a formal supervisor

B. The task had never been performed by this crew before

C. The rigging of the handrail was understood by the crew to be a two-person evolution, but on the day the bosun proceeded with the task essentially alone after sending the deckhand away for life vests

D. There was a fully documented, mandatory procedure that was followed correctly throughout

A. A safety feature deliberately designed to distribute load evenly across all steps

B. A modern upgrade that improves on traditional pilot ladder rigging

C. A type of shackle used only for lifeboat falls, unrelated to pilot ladders

D. A shackle secured over the ladder's side ropes rather than properly through the designed attachment point, which brings the entire weight of the ladder onto a single step that is not designed to bear that load