General Health Exam Flashcards
Sleeping Berths (Crew Accommodations)
- Verify berth arrangement and size
- Verify means of escape
- Verify adequate lighting and ventilation
- Verify good housekeeping practices
During this examination, verify the following:
• Living spaces have adequate ventilation, which includes heat and sufficient air movement in all conditions. Verify there are no rags, paper, or cardboard stuffed in the ventilation vents, as this constitutes a fire hazard.
• Living spaces have electric reading lamps and operation of lamps at the head of the berth.
• The sleeping room has a table or desk, a mirror, a place for toiletry items, bookrack, coat hooks, an individual locker and drawer or equivalent for each occupant.
Mess-Rooms and Recreation Spaces
During an inspection of the mess-rooms and recreation spaces, the PSCE:
• Observes tables and seats for the amount of crew that are likely to use it at one time.
• Ensures there is adequate place for utensils and proper facilities for washing utensils.
• Verifies the Company representative telephone number is posted in this area.
SOLAS training and firefighting manuals are usually located here, the lounge, or individual state rooms. Spot check during the exam.
Sanitary Facilities/Areas
- Verify quantity of showers and toilets
- Verify operation of toilets
- Verify HOT & COLD running water
- Verify lighting, heating, and ventilation
- Assess for unsanitary or hazardous conditions
Observe and verify:
• Proper operation of required number of toilets, wash basins, and showers.
• Sanitary accommodation has floors of an easily cleaned and durable material, with proper drainage.
• Fresh hot and cold water.
• Toilets screened for privacy if there are multiple water closets in one compartment.
Laundry Facilities
Check facilities for washing clothes and drying them. This can include wash sinks and an adequately ventilated and heated space, with a means of hanging clothes.
Verify washing machines and dryers located in the laundry facility are properly secured to ensure they do not fall on ship’s crew or create a fire risk (lint)
Hospital Space
During the examination of a ship’s hospital space:
• Check that the ship has a medicine chest.
• Spot-check medicine to ensure it has not expired and that expired medicines are separated and properly disposed of, such as shore disposal or incineration.
• Verify that controlled medicines are kept apart from other medicines, in a locked compartment, preferably in a room that is locked when unoccupied.
• Check medical log to see if anyone has been sick and if medications have been given out for an extended time.
- Verify presence of a designated space
- Verify space not used for stowage/berthing
- Verify exclusive use of water closet
- Verify approved medicine chest
- In ships 500 GT and more, hospital accommodation shall be provided.
- Every ship which does not carry a doctor shall be provided with an approved medicine chest with readily understandable instructions
- The hospital space needs its own water closet for the exclusive use of the occupant, if not inside the space, then adjacent to it and locked.
- Verify the hospital is not being used for anything other than medical purposes.
If the ship carries dangerous goods, the Medical First Aid Guide found in reference (ii), International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code Supplement, IMO (series), requires the ship to carry medical oxygen in the hospital.
Workspaces
When walking through work spaces during the exam, verify:
• Warning signs stating that protective equipment is to be worn before entering spaces, are posted.
NOTE:
If the engine room is protected by CO₂, ensure warning signage is posted on the entrance of the engine room door.
• Warning signs are posted for any space that has special hazards and signs are also posted to indicate where smoking is forbidden.
• Machinery has proper guards to protect crew, such as railings and shields for machinery.
• In battery room, proper PPE if ship conducts maintenance of batteries.
Galley
- Verify sanitary conditions
- Verify adequately equipped to prepare food
- Verify mess-room provided for crew
- Verify condition of vents and ducts
- Verify installation of fixed fire-extinguishing means within ducts
- Verify deep-fat cooking equipment requirements
- Verify HOT & COLD water
Examine the galley for an overall impression, including operation of ventilation, lighting, cleanliness, grease accumulation, and freshwater system, both hot/cold.
• Observe the cold storage and ensure there is adequate food for the length of the next voyage. While conducting this exam, you can speak to the cook about receiving stores that are adequate and in a timely manner.
• While in cold storage, verify there is an alarm or a means of escape from the space.
- Ensure the galley and provision stores are free of insects and vermin.
• Ask the crew basic questions including how often they clean the vent hood, what to do in case of fire, and where the firefighting equipment is found in the galley.
• Check the comminuter (food grinder) to ensure crew are not using while in port.
• Cooking oil and trash needs to be properly disposed of according to the Garbage Management Plan.
• Examine deep fat fryer:
- If equipped with a deep fat fryer, ensure there are two thermostats with an alarm for each.
- Verify installation of manual or automatic fixed firefighting appliance, if applicable
- Alarms for indicating operation of the extinguishing system in the galley
- Controls for manual operation of the extinguishing system, clearly labeled
Means of Escape
At all levels you need to have two widely separated means of escape from restricted spaces. Verify:
- EEBDs are located in the engine room (check for over-pressurization) and at least two in the accommodation space. The number of EEBDs in the engine room is based on the administration and the location can be verified with the fire control plan.
- Engine room has two sets of steel ladders separated as far as practical.
- No dead-end corridors greater than seven meters in length.
- Stairwells clear of slipping or tripping hazards and with handrails firmly affixed.
- Exits clearly marked.
Refrigerator and Dry Food Stores
- Verify adequate food for size of crew & intended voyage
- Verify free of insects and/or rodents
- Verify operation of emergency escape alarm/device (refrigerators)
General Safety Items
- Verify safe access to all spaces
- Verify no electrical hazards
- Verify space is adequately lit
- Verify warning notices posted as necessary
Examine Means of Escape
- Verify means of escape and confirm accessibility
- Verify emergency lighting arrangements
- Verify routes is marked and illuminated
- Verify arrangement of machinery space escape ladders
- Verify EEBD locations
- Verify EEBD are in serviceable condition
Avoid inadvertent entry into confined spaces
- Determine confined spaces (cargo pump room, tanks, voids)
- Evaluate potential hazards
- Mitigate potential hazards
