The learning objectives of this chapter are to understand the role of a
competent person to understand the role of a responsible officer and to
recognize how the responsible officer will apply the findings of the risk
assessment for entry into a dangerous enclosed or confined space
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a competent person is a person capable of making an informal risk assessment in
the case of a proposed entry into an enclosed or confined space this will
primarily focus on the atmosphere within the space but will also include a number
of related factors all of which the competent person must properly evaluate
the competent person should have sufficient theoretical knowledge and
practical understanding of the hazards that might be encountered in order to be
able to assess their likelihood and potential impact and to define the
precautions that will be necessary a responsible officer is a person
appointed by the master or by the company to take charge of an operation
such as entry into a dangerous enclosed or confined space the responsible
officer may be the same individual as the competent person or may be another
officer specifically appointed to the task
the confident person and the response the officer will usually be drawn from
ships personnel but may under certain circumstances be appointed from shore
superintendents safety inspectors dock yard managers and repair specialists may
all assume such duties and in these cases it is essential that all personnel
involved are aware of the identity of the responsible officer in particular
it is for the responsible officer to decide the procedures to be followed
before and during entry into an enclosed or confined space he will use the
findings of the risk assessment to help him in his decisions and planning the
exact procedures will depend on whether the assessment shows there is minimal
risk to the life or health of a person entering the space then or at any time
in the future there is no immediate risk to health and life but a risk could
arise during the course of work in the space or the risk to life or health is
significant or immediate click on the risk situation for more information
where the assessment shows that there is minimal risk to the life or health of a
person entering the space then routine safety and documentation procedures will
be followed
where the assessment shows that there is no immediate risk to helpful life but
that a risk could arise during the course of the work in the space further
procedures and certain additional precautions that will continue to
monitor and safeguard personnel will be put into effect
where the risk to health or life immediate or significant more particular
highly controlled procedures will be implemented
irrespective of the level of risk assess the responsible officer must be alert to
any unexpected change in circumstances and be prepared to implement emergency
procedures at any time
all vessels or those with small crew compliments may not have the resources
to designate either the competent person or the responsible officer in such cases
these positions will normally be filled from shore in these circumstances
no entry into a potentially dangerous space should be made until a suitably
qualified person is available to fill each role
the 12,500 mt3 gross registered tonnes US flag
tanker William T spheal was preparing to load a cargo of benzene at Garen illa
Puerto Rico unfortunately due to our planning oversight in the manifold
rigging the cargo was inadvertently loaded into the wrong tank number nine
Center which had been reserved for a cargo of xylene there was no chance of
working with the wrong stowage so the benzene was transferred out a number
nine Center was washed and ventilated two crewmen entered the forward end of
number nine Center to insert an isolation blank in a flange in a
pipeline and the chief officer went to the after part of the tank to eject
water from the sump area the two crew men working forward were unaware of the
presence of the chief officer when the flanges in the line were cracked benzene
began to leak out and the fumes forced the two crewmen to leave the compartment
without completing their task
once on deck one of the crewmen looks back down into the tank and saw the
chief officer lying in the bottom the alarm was raised and the second officer
and several other crewmen entered the space without breathing apparatus to
rescue the chief officer by this time the master had arrived on deck and he
donned the breathing apparatus and followed the others into the tank when
he reached the second officer some way down into the tank he noticed that he
was experiencing difficulty in breathing and attempted to share his air supply as
he tried to pass the mask over both men fell the remaining distance to the
bottom of the tank seeing this the other crewman immediately exited the tank they
survived but all three officers died the subsequent investigation by the US
National Transportation Safety Board concluded that both the chief officer
and second officer died from prolonged exposure to the highly concentrated
benzene vapors and the master died from the same cause but also possibly due to
injuries sustained in the fall
member