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General Working Conditions » Vessel's Radio and RADAR

Radio and RADAR (Radio Detecting and Ranging ) transmitters produce electromagnetic emissions that can cause human tissue (for example, skin, organ) damage from thermal heating. High-power radio transmitters can cause metal wires or ropes (such as crane or derrick cable) to become electrically energized. Workers touching an energized antenna or working in close proximity can receive an electrical shock.

Radio and RADAR Emissions
Figure 1: Unless RADAR and radio systems are secured to prevent emissions, workers are exposed to skin burns, electrical shock and organ damage; also rotating equipment can cause falls or amputations
Figure 1: Unless RADAR and radio systems are secured to prevent emissions, workers are exposed to skin burns, electrical shock and organ damage; also rotating equipment can cause falls or amputations.
Potential Hazards:
  • Skin burns, organ damage, and electrical shock caused by overexposure to radio and RADAR radiation.
  • Falls from elevation caused by rotating/moving equipment.
Requirements and Example Solutions:
  • No worker may be in the vicinity of radio or RADAR emission devices unless the systems are secured or made incapable of exposing workers to these emissions. [29 CFR 1915.95(a)]
    • Only authorized workers (for example, RADAR or radio repairman) are permitted to work adjacent to energized radio and RADAR equipment.
    • Radio and RADAR must be secured before other workers can enter the area. [29 CFR 1915.95(a)]
  • When RADAR or radio are being tested, workers must not be in the vicinity of radio or RADAR emissions. [29 CFR 1915.95(b)]
  • Workers should be insulated from static electrical charges.
 
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Fall Hazards
Figure 2: Improper practice - Improperly guarded deck openings
Figure 2: Improper practice - Improperly guarded deck openings.

Figure 3: RADAR platform properly guarded
Figure 3: RADAR platform properly guarded.

Figure 4: Properly guarded scaffold surrounding radio mast
Figure 4: Properly guarded scaffold surrounding radio mast.
Potential Hazards:

Fall hazards are a leading cause of shipyard fatalities. Shipyard employees are often required to work in dangerous environments that may include fall hazards. Accidents involving elevation equipment such as ladders and scaffolds are often serious, even fatal. Falls may occur:
  • From ladders
  • From scaffolds
  • From open deck edges
  • Into open holes
Requirements and Example Solutions:

Guarding of Deck Openings and Edges
  • Deck openings and edges must be guarded. [29 CFR 1915.73]
  • Flush manholes and other small openings must be guarded after opening. [29 CFR 1915.73(b)]
  • During the installation of guards on large openings and deck edges, fall protection (such as a harness with lanyard) must be used. [29 CFR 1915.73(d)]
  • When floor plates or gratings are removed, for example, in bilges, engine rooms, pump rooms, machinery spaces, the openings must be guarded or planked. [29 CFR 1915.73(f)]
Fall Protection for Scaffold Work
  • Guardrails or other appropriate fall protection shall be used when working on scaffolds 5 feet above surfaces. [29 CFR 1915.71(j)]
  • Fall protection must be used during the installation of guardrails on scaffolds. [29 CFR 1915.73(d)]
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