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STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS


2007 No. 3077

MERCHANT SHIPPING

The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Control of Vibration at Work) Regulations 2007

  Made 25th October 2007 
  Laid before Parliament 31st October 2007 
  Coming into force 23rd February 2008 

The Secretary of State is a Minister designated for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972[1] in relation to measures relating to the safety of ships and the health and safety of persons on them[2]:

     The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 2(2) of that Act and sections 85(1), (3), (5), (6) and (7) and 86(1) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995[3], and having consulted the persons referred to in section 86(4)[4] of that Act, makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement
     1. These Regulations may be cited as the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Control of Vibration at Work) Regulations 2007 and shall come into force on 23rd February 2008.

Interpretation
    
2. —(1) In these Regulations–

    (2) In these Regulations, any reference to an ISO standard includes a reference to any document amending that publication which is considered by the Secretary of State to be relevant from time to time and is specified in a Merchant Shipping Notice.

Meaning of "worker"
     3. —(1) In these Regulations, "worker" means any person employed under a contract of employment, including a trainee or apprentice other than a person who is training in a vessel which is being used—

and which is operating under a relevant code.

    (2) In paragraph (1), "relevant code" means—

    (3) In paragraph (2), each reference to a Code includes a reference to any document containing an amendment or replacement of that Code which is considered by the Secretary of State to be relevant from time to time.

Application
     4. —(1) Without prejudice to regulation 5 of the General Duties Regulations and subject to paragraphs (2) to (6), these Regulations apply in relation to United Kingdom ships.

    (2) Where—

that provision does not apply in relation to that ship to the extent of that conflict.

    (3) To the extent that a provision of these Regulations does not apply in relation to a ship because of paragraph (2) there is in relation to that ship a duty on the employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who are or who are likely to be exposed to risks from mechanical vibration as a result of their work.

    (4) The provisions of the General Duties Regulations and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations continue to apply to activities to which these Regulations apply; where these Regulations contain more stringent or specific provisions then such provisions apply.

    (5) This regulation (other than paragraph (1)) and regulations 17 and 19 apply in relation to ships which are not United Kingdom ships, when they are in United Kingdom waters.

    (6) These Regulations do not apply to activities to which the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005[
10] or the Control of Vibration at Work (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2005[11] apply.

    (7) In paragraph (2)—

Exposure limit values and exposure action values
     5. —(1) For hand-arm vibration—

    (2) For whole body vibration—

    (3) Daily exposure shall be ascertained in accordance with the Schedule.

Assessment of risks
    
6. —(1) The employer shall assess the level of mechanical vibration to which workers are exposed as part of the risk assessment required by regulation 7 of the General Duties Regulations.

    (2) Where the employer concludes that the nature and extent of any risks related to mechanical vibration to which workers are exposed are such that a detailed risk assessment is not necessary, the risk assessment shall explain the reasons for such a conclusion.

    (3) The risk assessment shall be based on—

    (4) Without prejudice to the generality of regulation 7 of the General Duties Regulations, in carrying out the risk assessment the employer shall consider—

    (5) The employer shall ensure that the risk assessment—

Elimination or control of exposure to vibration in the workplace
    
7. —(1) The employer shall ensure that the risks arising from exposure to mechanical vibration which are identified by the risk assessment are either—

having regard to the principles in regulation 5 of the General Duties Regulations.

    (2) Where it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate risk at source pursuant to paragraph (1) and an exposure action value is likely to be exceeded, the employer shall reduce exposure to as low as is reasonably practicable under paragraph (1) by establishing and implementing a programme of organisational and technical measures appropriate to the activity, which may in particular include—

    (3) The employer shall take into account the results of any health surveillance required by regulation 9 in applying the organisational and technical measures required by this regulation.

    (4) Subject to regulation 12, the employer shall ensure that workers are not exposed to mechanical vibration exceeding the daily exposure limit value specified in regulation 5(1)(a) or 5(2)(a).

    (5) Subject to regulation 12, following implementation of the organisational and technical measures taken in accordance with paragraph (2) the employer shall assess the effectiveness of such measures and if the daily exposure limit value is exceeded shall—

    (6) Except in an emergency, vibration in accommodation and rest spaces shall be reduced to a level compatible with their purpose and use.

    (7) The employer shall adapt measures which are taken in accordance with this regulation to workers who are particularly sensitive to vibration.

    (8) Paragraphs (4) and (5) shall not apply until 6 July 2010 where work equipment is used which—

but in such case, the employer shall take such measures provided for in these Regulations so as to limit the exposure to mechanical vibration so far as reasonably practicable.

Worker information and training
    
8. —(1) If—

the employer shall provide those workers and their representatives with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training.

    (2) Information, instruction and training provided in accordance with paragraph (1) shall include—

Health surveillance
    
9. —(1) If—

the workers shall be entitled to health surveillance provided by the employer where such health surveillance is appropriate in accordance with paragraph (2).

    (2) Health surveillance shall be appropriate where—

    (3) Where, as a result of health surveillance a worker is found to have an identifiable disease or adverse health effect which is considered by a doctor or an occupational health professional to be the result of exposure to mechanical vibration at work the employer shall—

    (4) The employer shall ensure that a health record is made and maintained in respect of each worker who undergoes health surveillance in accordance with these Regulations, the record being in a suitable form and containing a summary of the results of the health surveillance carried out.

    (5) The employer shall—

    (6) The employer shall pay the costs of health surveillance carried out in order to comply with this regulation.

Consultation with workers
    
10. In consulting with workers in accordance with regulation 20 of the General Duties Regulations, workers or their representatives shall be consulted on—

Persons on whom duties are imposed
    
11. —(1) Where a person on whom a duty is imposed by any of the preceding provisions of these Regulations does not have control of the matter to which that provision relates because that person does not have responsibility for the operation of the ship, that duty also extends to any other person who has control of that matter.

    (2) It is the duty of every worker performing activities to which these Regulations apply to—

Exemptions
    
12. —(1) The Secretary of State may grant an exemption in respect of work on a particular ship from the requirement to comply with regulation 7(4) and (5) in relation to whole-body vibration where he is satisfied that the state of the art and the specific characteristics of the ship do not make it possible to comply with the whole body exposure limit value whatever technical and organisational measures are adopted.

    (2) If the conditions in paragraph (3) are satisfied, the Secretary of State may grant an exemption from the requirements of regulation 7(4) and (5) where a worker is exposed to mechanical vibration which is usually below the exposure action values referred to in regulation 5 but which varies significantly from time to time and may sometimes exceed the exposure action value.

    (3) The conditions referred to in paragraph (2) are that—

    (4) The Secretary of State may not grant an exemption under paragraphs (1) or (2) unless—

    (5) Any exemption granted under this regulation shall—

Offences and penalties
    
13. —(1) A person who fails to comply with regulation 6, 7 or 9 is guilty of an offence and liable—

    (2) A person who fails to comply with regulation 10 is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.

    (3) A person who fails to comply with regulation 8 or contravenes regulation 21 is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

    (4) A worker who fails to comply with regulation 11(2) is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.

    (5) Section 146(1) of the Act (enforcement of fines) applies to any fine imposed for an offence under paragraphs (1) to (3) of this regulation, as if the reference to proceedings against the owner or master of a ship for an offence under Chapter 2 were a reference to proceedings against any person for an offence under those paragraphs.

Offences by body corporate
    
14. —(1) Where a body corporate is guilty of an offence under these Regulations and that offence is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to have been attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or a person who was purporting to act in such a capacity, he as well as the body corporate is guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

    (2) Where the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, the preceding paragraph shall apply in relation to the acts and defaults of a member in connection with his functions of management as if he were a director of the body corporate.

    (3) Where an offence under these Regulations committed by a Scottish partnership is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to have been attributable to any neglect on the part of, a partner, that partner as well as the partnership is guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

Onus of proving what is reasonably practicable
    
15. In any proceedings for an offence under these Regulations consisting of a failure to comply with a duty or requirement to do something so far as is reasonably practicable, it shall be for the defendant to prove that it was not reasonably practicable to do more than was in fact done to satisfy the duty or requirement.

Detention of a United Kingdom ship
    
16. —(1) Where a surveyor of ships is satisfied that there is or has been a failure by an employer or other person referred to in regulation 11(1) to comply in relation to any United Kingdom ship with the preceding requirements of these Regulations, that ship is liable to be detained until a surveyor of ships is satisfied that those requirements are complied with.

    (2) A surveyor of ships may permit a ship which is liable to be detained under paragraph (1) to proceed to sea for the purposes of proceeding to the nearest appropriate repair yard.

    (3) A ship shall not be delayed or detained unreasonably under this regulation.

    (4) Where a ship is detained because in relation to it there has been a failure to comply with the requirements of these Regulations, and that failure has ceased, a person having power to detain the ship shall, at the request of the owner or master, immediately release the ship—

    (5) The Secretary of State shall repay any sum paid in pursuance of paragraph (4)(c) or release any security so given—

    (6) Where a sum has been paid, or security has been given, by any person in pursuance of paragraph (4)(c) and the employer or other person having control of the matter in question is convicted of an offence arising from the failure in question, the sum so paid or the amount made available under the security shall be applied as follows—

and any balance shall be repaid to the first-mentioned person.

    (7) Section 145 of the Act (interpretation of section 144) applies for the purposes of paragraphs (4) to (6) as if –

Inspection and other measures in respect of ships registered outside the United Kingdom
     17. —(1) When a ship which is not a United Kingdom ship is in United Kingdom waters, a relevant inspector may inspect that ship to ascertain whether the standards required in relation to United Kingdom ships by these Regulations are met in relation to that ship.

    (2) Where a surveyor of ships is satisfied that the standards required in relation to United Kingdom ships by these Regulations are not met in relation to a ship which is not a United Kingdom ship but is in United Kingdom waters, that surveyor of ships may—

    (3) A ship to which paragraph (2)(b) applies is liable to be detained until a surveyor of ships is satisfied that those conditions are rectified.

    (4) A surveyor of ships may permit a ship which is liable to be detained under paragraph (3) to proceed to sea for the purposes of proceeding to the nearest appropriate repair yard.

    (5) If any of the measures specified in paragraph (2)(b) or (3) are taken, the surveyor of ships shall immediately notify the nearest maritime, consular or diplomatic representative of the State whose flag the ship is entitled to fly.

    (6) A ship shall not in the exercise of the power under this regulation be delayed or detained unreasonably.

    (7) In paragraph (1), "relevant inspector" means a person mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of section 258(1) of the Act[
13].

Application of powers of inspectors in relation to Government ships
     18. Sections 258 to 266 of the Act[14] apply to these Regulations as if they were for all purposes made under section 85 of the Act and accordingly those sections apply in relation to Government ships.

Enforcement of detention
     19. —(1) Section 284 of the Act applies where a ship is liable to be detained under these Regulations as if—

    (2) Where a ship is liable to be detained under these Regulations, the person detaining the ship shall serve on the master of the ship a detention notice which shall—

Right of appeal and compensation
    
20. Regulations 11 and 12 (right of appeal and compensation) of the Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) Regulations 1995[15] (which by virtue of regulation 19 of those Regulations apply in relation to the exercise of powers of detention contained in safety regulations) apply in relation to a detention notice served on a Government ship under these Regulations as if these Regulations were for all purposes made under section 85 of the Act.

Prohibition on Levy
     21. No charge in respect of anything done or provided in pursuance of any specific requirement of these Regulations shall be levied or permitted to be levied on any worker.



Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport


Jim Fitzpatrick
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

25th October 2007



SCHEDULE
Regulation 5

Definitions
     1. In this schedule—

Assessment of Exposure
     2. Assessment of the level of exposure to hand-arm vibration is to be based on the calculation of the daily exposure value normalised to an eight hour reference period A(8), expresses as the square root of the sum of the squares (rms) (total value) of the frequency weighted acceleration values, determined on the orthogonal axes ahwx, ahwy, and ahwz, as defined in Chapters 4 and 5 and Annex A to BS EN ISO standard 5349-1.

     3. Assessment of the level of exposure to whole body vibration is to be based on the calculation of daily exposure expressed as equivalent continuous acceleration over an eight hour period, calculated as the highest (rms) value, determined on three orthogonal axes (1,4awx, 1,4awy, awz, for a seated or standing worker) in accordance with Chapters 5, 6 and 7, Annex A and Annex B to ISO standard 2631-1.

     4. Assessment of whole body vibration need only include vibrations of a frequency exceeding 1 hz.

     5. If the assessment is based on measurement in accordance with regulation 6(3)(c)—

    (1) the methods used—

    (2) in the case of hand-arm vibration for devices which need to be held with both hands—

Interference and indirect risks
     6. Regulation 6(4)(d) shall apply in particular where mechanical vibration interferes with—

    (1) the proper handling of controls or reading indicators; and

    (2) the stability of structures or the security of joints.



EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)


These Regulations implement Council Directive 2002/44/EC (OJ No L 177, 6.7.2002, p.13) on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (vibration) (sixteenth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC). They apply to United Kingdom ships wherever they may be and non-United Kingdom ships in United Kingdom waters. The Regulations impose duties on employers to protect workers who may be exposed to risk from exposure to vibration at work.

The Regulations apply to both hand-arm and whole-body vibration. They make provision for—

These Regulations are made under the powers in the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 except in relation to their application to Government ships where the powers are provided by section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972.

Copies of British Standard BS EN ISO 5349-1:2001 and BS EN ISO 5349-2:2001, relating to measurement and evaluation of human exposure to hand-transmitted mechanical vibration are obtainable from British Standards Institution, BSI House, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL. International Standard ISO 2631-1:1997, relating to measurement and evaluation of human exposure to whole-body mechanical vibration and shock, referred to in the Schedule is obtainable from the International Standards Organisation, 1, rue de Varembé, Case postale 56CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.

A Regulatory Impact Assessment and a Transposition Note have been prepared and a copy has been placed in the Library of each House of Parliament. Copies can be obtained from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Spring Place, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1EG (telephone number 02380 329100).

Merchant Shipping Notices can be obtained from Mail Marketing (Scotland), Unit 6, Bloomsgrove Industrial Estate, Norton Street, Nottingham, NG7 3JG (telephone 0115 901 3336; fax 0115 901 3334;
e-mail orders: [email protected]). They may also be accessed via the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website http://www.mcga.gov.uk.


Notes:

[1] 1972 c.68.back

[2] S.I. 1993/595.back

[3] 1995 c.21.back

[4] Sections 85 and 86 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 were amended by the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (c.28), section 8.back

[5] S.I. 1997/2962, amended by S.I. 1998/2411 and S.I. 2001/54.back

[6] S.I. 2006/2183.back

[7] Published by the Stationery Office in 1993 (ISBN 0-11-551184-9).back

[8] Published by the Stationery Office in 1993 (ISBN 0-11-551185-7).back

[9] Published by the Stationery Office in 1999 (ISBN 9-11-551812-6).back

[10] S.I. 2005/1093.back

[11] S.R . (NI) 2005 No. 397.back

[12] Cmnd. 8941.back

[13] Section 258(1) was amended by the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (c.28), sections 9 and 29(2), Schedule 1 paragraph 4 and Schedule 9 Part I.back

[14] These sections provide powers to inspect ships and their equipment, powers of inspectors in relation to premises and ships, for the service of improvement notices and prohibition notices and their reference to arbitration , compensation for invalid prohibition notices and offences.back

[15] S.I. 1995/3128, as amended by S.I. 2003/1636 and other amendments which are not relevant to these Regulations.back



ISBN 978 0 11 078909 5


 © Crown copyright 2007

Prepared 2 November 2007


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