Why it matters
A ship under repair packs many trades into tight steel spaces. Welders, painters, blasters and fitters work above, below and beside each other. One trade's work can kill another trade's crew.
The WSH Council reported five marine deaths in 2024. Four happened on vessels at anchorage and one in a shipyard. The sector also sees about 15 to 22 major injuries a year, mostly in shipyards. The main hazards it named were work at height, commercial diving and confined spaces.
Who is in charge on the ship
The shipyard occupier appoints a ship repair manager for each ship in the yard. For a ship in harbour, the master, owner or agent makes the appointment. The manager takes charge of all construction and repair work on board. The crew and owner may not carry out work without the manager's approval.
Where hazardous work is planned, a vessel safety co-ordination committee is set up for that ship. The ship repair manager chairs it. Supervisors from every trade, including contractors, sit on it with the ship's representative. It meets daily while hazardous work goes on, including Sundays and public holidays.
The committee plans the work so that jobs running at the same time do not clash. It reviews permits daily, watches all hot work, checks gas test results for confined spaces and decides where permits and signs are displayed.
Where work runs in shifts, the outgoing supervisor hands over the activities chart and the latest committee meeting record. The incoming supervisor should know what happened and what is still open before the crew starts.
Permits for hot work and high-risk work
Hot work covers welding, flame cutting, burning, riveting and any work that makes heat or sparks. High-risk work includes spray painting, grit-blasting in confined spaces, opening pipes that held oil or chemicals, ballasting, hydraulic repairs, bunkering and radiography.
The supervisor applies for the permit and says what precautions will be taken. Hot-work applications include sketches of the exact locations. The safety assessor inspects the site and its surroundings with the supervisor, then endorses the application. The ship repair manager issues the permit only when no clashing work will run nearby.
The supervisor posts a copy at the work area, with a sketch where practicable. It stays up until the permit expires, is revoked or the job is done. The manager reviews hot-work permits daily and can stop any job at once.
Hot work and gas
Fires and explosions on ships start from leaking gas, hidden fuel and sparks travelling through steel. A trained fire watchman with firefighting equipment watches each hot-work area for the whole job. Before the permit is issued, the area must be clear of hazardous substances. Where heat could pass through, someone watches the far side of the plate too.
Keep oxygen and fuel gas cylinders above the weather deck unless the space is well ventilated. Fit flashback arrestors and non-return valves. At breaks and at the end of the day, shut the cylinder valves and take torches and hoses up to the weather deck or another ventilated place. Leaking hoses left in a tank overnight fill it with gas.
Never weld or cut a drum, tank or pipe that held flammable material until it is cleaned and gas-free or made inert. In port waters, the MPA also requires the Port Master's permission before hot work on a vessel. Tankers and other flammable cargo ships may need gas-free certification first.
Tanks, painting and electrics
Tanks, double bottoms and void spaces are confined spaces. Check oxygen, dangerous gases and flammable vapours before entry and regularly during work. The confined space rules apply alongside the shipyard rules.
Painting gives off flammable, toxic vapour. Spray painters in tanks and compartments must use air-line breathing apparatus with a constant fresh air supply. Ventilate every painting area. Welding fumes need local exhaust ventilation, or forced ventilation and air-line breathing apparatus where extraction is not practicable.
Wet steel and electricity kill. Portable hand tools in confined spaces run at no more than 55 V AC or 120 V DC. Temporary supplies need residual current breakers that trip at 30 mA or less. AC arc welding sets need a low voltage shock preventer. Do not arc weld in wet conditions where there is a risk of electrocution.
Falls, openings and water
Keep passageways, scaffolds and platforms free of slipping hazards, debris and sharp edges. Secure open hatch covers so they cannot slam shut. Never throw debris from heights.
Anyone who could fall into water and drown must have equipment to keep them afloat, rescue them quickly and resuscitate them. The WSH Council life jacket guidelines recommend automatically inflating life jackets where a worker could fall in unexpectedly. Choose performance level 150 or higher for anchorages and open water. Lift bags and tools separately so hands stay free on ladders between vessels.
A manual jacket only inflates when the wearer pulls the cord. A worker knocked unconscious by the fall cannot do that. Check which type your crew is wearing.
Order of controls
- Plan it out. Sequence trades so hot work never runs next to painting, fuel transfer or tank cleaning.
- Remove the hazard. Clean and gas-free tanks and pipes. Take gas cylinders and hoses out of enclosed spaces.
- Engineer it. Ventilate tanks, extract fumes at source, fit edge protection and hatch locks, use low voltage tools.
- Control the work. Permits, safety assessor checks, daily committee review, fire watchmen and shift handovers.
- Protect the person. Air-line breathing apparatus, fall protection, life jackets and the right eye, hand, foot and hearing protection.
What the rules require
The Workplace Safety and Health (Shipbuilding and Ship-Repairing) Regulations 2008 apply to shipyards and to ships in harbour. They cover building, repair, painting, breaking up, tank cleaning and surveys.
- Workers doing hazardous work need an approved safety course. Hot work and spray painting each need their own approved course. Supervisors need adequate safety training.
- The master, owner or agent notifies MOM 3 days before work on board a ship in harbour.
- A vessel safety co-ordination committee meets daily while hazardous work is going on.
- Hot work and high-risk work need a permit issued by the ship repair manager after a safety assessor's endorsement.
- A trained fire watchman is appointed for hot work.
- Arc welding equipment is inspected every 30 days. Gas hoses, torches and regulators are inspected and tested every 14 days. Flashback arrestors and non-return valves are tested every 12 months. Results go in a register.
- The low voltage shock preventer on AC welding sets is inspected and tested every 6 months.
- Every worker reporting on board gets a briefing from their supervisor on safe work and the escape routes from their work area.
- General and emergency lighting is provided, with smoking only in designated areas.
Most duties in the Shipbuilding and Ship-Repairing Regulations carry a fine of up to $50,000, up to two years in jail, or both. Supervisors who oversee shipyard work need adequate safety and health training under regulation 6.
Common mistakes
- Starting hot work on a verbal OK before the permit is issued and posted.
- Leaving gas hoses and torches in a tank over lunch.
- Painting in one compartment while welding next door.
- Letting the fire watchman leave before the work area has cooled.
- Wearing manual life jackets for transfers at anchorage.
- Leaving hatch covers propped open with nothing to stop them closing.
- Skipping the shift handover because the night supervisor is in a hurry.
A permit only covers the place, time and work it names. Moving the job a few frames along, or adding grinding to a welding permit, needs a new assessment.
Use it on site: the shipyard and marine work checklist and the toolbox talk to brief your crew.
Sources
- Workplace Safety and Health (Shipbuilding and Ship-Repairing) Regulations 2008, Singapore Statutes Online.
- WSH Guidelines on Personal Flotation Devices: Life Jackets, WSH Council.
- Opening address at the Marine and Maritime Leadership Breakfast 2025, WSH Council.
- Applying for anchorage space to conduct hot-work repair, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Laws and codes of practice change; always check the current official text and your site's own procedures.
