Guidelines for Health and Safety on Board Small Fishing Boats

There will be a number of machinery stops around any vessel on winches, cranes, windlasses and conveyors and other pieces of machinery. Some machines are fitted with remote emergency stops so they can be shut down from another area. Many stops are installed for safety purposes so that machinery automatically stops should hazardous parts become exposed by the removal of a safety cover or guard for example.

Stops may be in many forms including: valves, levers, switches, micro-switches, electronic sensors or buttons for example.

Points to remember

• DO NOT by-pass any machine’s STOP button, even “just for a short time”.
• Make sure all STOP switches, levers and buttons are clearly labelled in red. Labels or signs should be large, clean and bright.
• Crew must be shown where emergency stop buttons are positioned including equipment they may not be responsible for operating.
• Keep all STOP buttons, levers and buttons free from obstruction.
• Check operation of STOP arrangements regularly. If there is a remote emergency stop button, use it to shut the machinery down occasionally to prove it is working.