Man Aloft Procedures

When working above the main deck of a ship in a lift or even up the mast, there are numerous hazards that workers must be aware of. Aside from the obvious issue of workers slipping and falling, ships also have machinery such as radars (or naval gun directors) that can rotate and radiate.  Following Man Aloft Procedures can help reduce the risk of injury.

Procedures and authorities can vary from yard to yard and between ship owners, but in essence the Man Aloft Procedure provides high level safety guidelines.

When an employee will be going up the mast or working from a bucket, the first step is to inform the ship. Just prior to work commencing, the employee and/or supervisor will go to the ship and let the ship's contact know work is about to start. An electronic lockout procedure will then be instituted.

Lockouts and the procedure to re-energize will be the responsibility of one person to prevent someone inadvertently over-riding the lockout. There will be a distinguishing flag hoisted up the mast to indicate that work is being done aloft.  The flag is also a warning to other ships not to radiate in the direction of the worker.

Workers will use fall arrest gear.  Some ships have a fall arrest rail and special harnesses that break a workers fall should they slip or otherwise be knocked off the mast or pedestal. Depending on what work is being carried out, there can even be an announcement over the ship's PA system to let other workers know about the overhead work and the fact that certain deck areas may be out of bounds.

Like any procedure, Man Aloft works extremely well if it is stringently adhered to by all ship's staff.  If you are up in a bucket, take the time to ask about the procedure.  If you are working down below, stay out of the restricted zones.  Close adherence to safety procedures like Man Aloft saves lives.