Maritime Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (SOR/2010-120)

General

20 The employer must ensure that there is adequate headroom in all crew accommodation and the minimum headroom in all crew accommodation where full and free movement is necessary must be at least 203 cm.

• 21 (1) The sleeping quarters, mess rooms, recreational facilities, and passageways in the crew accommodation space and their external bulkheads must be adequately insulated to prevent condensation or overheating.

• (2) If there is a possibility of resulting heat effects in adjoining accommodation or passageways, steam and hot-water service pipes, machinery casings and boundary bulkheads of galleys and other spaces where heat is produced must be adequately insulated.

22 External bulkheads and any part of a bulkhead that separates sleeping quarters from cargo and machinery spaces, galleys, storerooms, drying rooms or communal sanitary facilities must be constructed of steel or other materials approved under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 and be watertight and airtight.

• 23 (1) Materials used to construct or install internal bulkheads, panelling, sheeting, floors and joinings must be approved under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001.

• (2) The bulkhead surfaces and deckheads must be constructed so that they can be easily cleaned and maintained in a sanitary condition.

• (3) The bulkhead surfaces and deckheads in sleeping quarters and mess rooms must be light in colour with a durable non-toxic finish.

• 24 (1) Materials used to construct or install the deck covering in all crew accommodation must be approved under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 and provide a non-slip surface impervious to moisture that is capable of being easily cleaned and maintained in a sanitary condition.

• (2) If deck covering is made of composite materials, any joints must be profiled to avoid crevices.

• (3) The deck covering in all crew accommodation must

  • (a) be kept free of grease, oil or any other slippery substance and any material or object that may create a hazard to an employee; and

  • (b) have sufficient drainage to remove any water that accumulates in the crew accommodation.

• 25 (1) If feasible, electric light with two independent sources of electricity must be provided in the crew accommodation.

• (2) If it is not feasible to provide two independent sources of electricity for lighting, additional lighting must be provided by installed lamps or lighting apparatus for emergency use.

Sleeping Quarters

General

• 26 (1) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), sleeping quarters must be located above the load line amidships or aft.

• (2) Sleeping quarters must not open directly into cargo and machinery spaces, galleys, storerooms, drying rooms or communal sanitary facilities.

• (3) In passenger vessels and in special purpose vessels if arrangements are made for lighting and ventilation, sleeping quarters may be located below the load line, but in no case are they to be located beneath working passageways.

• (4) If the size, type or intended service of the vessel renders any other location impractical, sleeping quarters may be located in the fore part of the vessel, but in no case are they to be located forward of the collision bulkhead.

• 27 (1) If feasible, the sleeping quarters must

  • (a) be of adequate size and be properly equipped so as to ensure reasonable comfort and to facilitate tidiness; and

  • (b) be equipped with a sanitary facility, taking into consideration the size of the vessel, the activity in which it is to be engaged and its layout.

• (2) Except on passenger vessels, all sleeping quarters must be provided with a wash basin with hot and cold running fresh water from taps that are clearly marked to indicate whether the water supply is hot or cold, unless the room is equipped with a sanitary facility containing a wash basin.

• 28 (1) If feasible, the minimum floor area per person for sleeping quarters of employees with officer duties must be

  • (a) on vessels other than passenger vessels and special purpose vessels,

    • (i) 7.5 m² in vessels of less than 3,000 gross tonnage,

    • (ii) 8.5 m² in vessels of at least 3,000 but less than 10,000 gross tonnage, and

    • (iii) 10 m² in vessels of at least 10,000 gross tonnage or more; and

  • (b) on passenger vessels and special purpose vessels,

    • (i) 7.5 m² for junior officers, and

    • (ii) 8.5 m² for senior officers.

• (2) In this section, junior officers means officers at the operational level and senior officers means officers at the management level.

• (3) If feasible, the master, the chief mate, the chief engineer and the second engineer are to be provided with, in addition to their sleeping quarters, an adjoining sitting room, day room or equivalent additional space.

• 29 (1) If feasible, individual sleeping quarters must be provided for each employee.

• (2) In individual sleeping quarters for employees, the minimum floor area must be

  • (a) 4.5 m² in vessels of less than 3,000 gross tonnage;

  • (b) 5.5 m² in vessels of at least 3,000 but less than 10,000 gross tonnage; and

  • (c) 7 m² in vessels of at least 10,000 gross tonnage or more.

• 30 (1) If it is not feasible to provide individual sleeping quarters to employees,

  • (a) separate sleeping quarters must be provided for men and women;

  • (b) an officer must not share their sleeping quarters with more than one other person;

  • (c) if feasible, watchkeepers who are on different watches must not share their sleeping quarters; and

  • (d) if feasible, employees working during the day must not share their sleeping quarters with watchkeepers.

• (2) If feasible, on passenger vessels and special purpose vessels, the floor area of sleeping quarters for employees not performing officer duties must not be less than

  • (a) 7.5 m² in rooms accommodating two persons;

  • (b) 11.5 m² in rooms accommodating three persons; and

  • (c) 14.5 m² in rooms accommodating four persons.

• (3) If feasible, in vessels of less than 3000 gross tonnage, other than passenger vessels and special purpose vessels, no more than two persons are to share their sleeping quarters and the floor area of that room must not be less than 7 m².

• (4) On special purpose vessels, sleeping quarters may accommodate more than four persons in one room and the floor area of that room must not be less than 3.6 m² per person.

Calculation of Area

31 Space occupied by berths, lockers, chests of drawers and seats must be included in the measurement of the floor area while small or irregularly shaped spaces, which do not add effectively to the space available for free movement and cannot be used for installing furniture, must be excluded.

Berths

32 A separate berth must be provided for each employee and arranged so that the berth is as comfortable as possible for the employee and any partner who may accompany the employee.

33 The minimum inner dimensions of a berth must be 198 cm by 80 cm.

• 34 (1) The framework and the lee-board, if any, of a berth must be constructed from material that is hard, smooth and impervious to moisture and not likely to corrode or to harbour vermin.

• (2) If tubular frames are used for the construction of berths, the tubes must be completely sealed and without perforations.

• 35 (1) No more than one berth is to be placed over another.

• (2) A berth must not be placed over another if a sidelight is located above a berth that is placed along the ship’s side.

• (3) If one berth is placed over another,

  • (a) the lower berth must be at least 30 cm above the floor;

  • (b) the upper berth must be placed approximately midway between the bottom of the lower berth and the lower side of the deckhead beams; and

  • (c) a dust-proof bottom must be fitted beneath the bottom mattress or spring bottom of the upper berth.

• 36 (1) Each berth must be fitted with a mattress with a cushioning bottom or a combined cushioning mattress that includes a spring bottom or a spring mattress.

• (2) The employer must provide a set of clean bedding to be used on board a vessel during the employee’s service.

• (3) The bedding set must, at a minimum, consist of the following items of appropriate size for the berth:

  • (a) one pillow;

  • (b) one pillow case;

  • (c) two flat bedsheets; and

  • (d) one blanket.

• (4) The employee must return the bedding set on completion of service on board a vessel.

37 In sleeping quarters, an electric reading lamp must be installed at the head of each berth.

Furniture

38 Sleeping quarters must be equipped with

• (a) a table or desk, which may be of the fixed, drop-leaf or slide-out type;

• (b) comfortable seating accommodation;

• (c) a mirror, small cabinets for toiletries, a book rack and one coat hook per occupant; and

• (d) curtains or an equivalent covering for the portholes.

• 39 (1) Each occupant must be provided with a clothes locker with a capacity of at least 475 l and a drawer or equivalent space with a capacity of at least 56 l, unless the drawer is incorporated into the clothes locker, in which case the combined minimum volume must be 500 l.

• (2) The clothes locker must be fitted with a shelf and be capable of being locked.

40 The furniture must be constructed of a smooth, hard material that is not likely to warp or corrode.

Galleys and Dining Areas

• 41 (1) If an employee is required to eat on board a vessel there must be, if feasible, a galley or dining area that is equipped with, at a minimum, the following items:

  • (a) a hot plate or a range;

  • (b) a microwave oven;

  • (c) a toaster;

  • (d) a refrigerator or a cooler;

  • (e) dish washing facilities; and

  • f) pots, pans, strainers, dishes and utensils, in sufficient number to accommodate the greatest number of employees that could use them at any one time.

• (2) Every dining area provided by the employer must be

  • (a) of sufficient size to allow individual seating and table space for each employee using the area;

  • (b) provided with non-combustible covered receptacles for the disposal of food waste or garbage; and

  • (c) separated from any place where a hazardous substance may contaminate food, dishes or utensils.

Mess Rooms

42 Mess rooms must be located as close as possible to the galley and as far as possible from the sleeping quarters and any place if a hazardous substance may contaminate food, dishes or utensils.

43 On vessels, other than passenger vessels, the floor area of mess rooms for employees must not be less than 1.5 m² per person of the planned seating capacity.

• 44 (1) In all vessels, mess rooms must be equipped with tables and seats sufficient to accommodate the number of employees that could use them at any one time.

• (2) The tops of tables and seats must be made of a moisture-resistant material.