Washington Administrative Code › Title 296 - Labor and Industries, Department of › Chapter 296-78 - Safety standards for sawmills and woodworking operations › Section 296-78-56505 - Boats and mechanical devices on waters

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) The applicable provisions of the Standard
			 for Fire Protection for Motorcraft, NFPA No. 302-1994, must be complied with.
			 Prior to starting the boat motor, any spilled fuel must be removed and vapors
			 must be exhausted from any area in which they may accumulate.
(2) The bilge area must be kept clean and
			 oil, grease, fuel, or highly combustible materials must not be allowed to
			 accumulate.
(3) Adequate
			 ventilation equipment must be provided and used for the bilge area to prevent
			 the accumulation of toxic or explosive gases or vapors.
(4) Adequate ventilation equipment must be
			 provided and used for the cabin area on enclosed cabin-type boats to prevent an
			 accumulation of harmful gases or vapors.
(5) Deck and cabin lighting must be provided
			 and used where necessary to provide safe levels of illumination aboard boats.
			 Boats operated during the period from sunset to sunrise, or in conditions of
			 restricted visibility, must display navigation lights as required by the United
			 States Coast Guard. Searchlights or floodlights must be provided to facilitate
			 safe navigation and to illuminate working or boarding areas adjacent to the
			 craft.
(6) Decks of pond boats must
			 be covered with nonslip material. On craft used by workers wearing calked
			 shoes, all areas where the operator or workers must stand or walk must be made
			 of or be covered with wood or other suitable matting or nonslip material and
			 such covering must be maintained in good condition.
(7) Each boat must be provided with a fire
			 extinguisher and life ring with at least fifty feet of one-fourth inch line
			 attached.
Note: For additional requirements relating to portable fire
				extinguishers see WAC
				296-800-300.
(8) Along docks, walkways, or other fixed
			 installations on or adjacent to open water more than five feet deep, approved
			 life rings with at least ninety feet of one-fourth inch line attached, must be
			 provided. The life rings must be spaced at intervals not to exceed two hundred
			 feet and kept in easily visible and readily accessible locations.
(a) When employees are assigned work at other
			 casual locations where exposure to drowning exists, at least one approved life
			 ring with at least ninety feet of line attached, must be provided in the
			 immediate vicinity of the work assigned.
(b) When work is assigned over water where
			 the vertical drop from the accidental fall would exceed fifty feet, special
			 arrangements must be made with and approved by the department of labor and
			 industries prior to such assignment.
(c) Lines attached to life rings on fixed
			 locations must be at least ninety feet in length, at least one-fourth inch in
			 diameter, and have a minimum breaking strength of five hundred pounds. Similar
			 lines attached to life rings on boats must be at least fifty feet in
			 length.
(d) Life rings must be
			 United States Coast Guard approved thirty-inch size.
(e) Life rings and attached lines must be
			 provided and maintained to retain their buoyancy and strength.
(f) Log broncs, boomscooters, and boomboats
			 must not be loaded with personnel or equipment so as to adversely affect their
			 stability or seaworthiness.
(g)
			 Boats must not be operated at an excessive speed or handled
			 recklessly.
(h) Boat fuel must be
			 transported and stored in approved containers. Refer to WAC
			 296-24-58501 for definition of
			 approved.