you must be on the main deck in foul weather, wear your
life jacket. You must always wear an inherently buoyant
life jacket whenever you are handling lines or are
otherwise involved in underway replenishment or
transfer operations.
A ship’s deck has many tripping hazards, such as
cleats, bitts, and pad eyes, as well as larger obstacles,
such as boat davits and winches. Learn their locations so
that if you must go on deck at night, you will have a
better chance of avoiding these hazards.
Don’t sit or lean on lifelines. When the sea is
unusually rough, a safety line may be rigged on the main
deck. When you are moving along the deck, you should
stay inboard of, and hold on to, the safety line.
The flight decks of aircraft carriers are particularly
hazardous areas. Beware of propellers and jet blast!
Often, propellers are invisible because of the speed at
which they rotate. They can act just like a meat slicer; so
you need to use extreme care when walking or working
near propeller-driven aircraft.
Jet planes present other hazards—a person can be
sucked into the jet’s intake, be burned, or be blown
overboard (or against an object) by its exhaust. Keep off
the flight deck if you don’t work there. Because of
minimum lighting requirements, nighttime is especially
hazardous on the flight deck. When working on the
flight deck, always wear your ear protectors when jet
engines are running. One other caution—Smoking is
prohibited on the flight and hangar decks and in all fuel
and ammunition-handling spaces.
In general, the same rules apply to ships with
operating helicopters. Only authorized personnel are
permitted in the landing area during helicopter
operations. Those personnel must wear proper
protective clothing and equipment. During vertical
replenishment operations, keep out from under loads
and stay clear of the unloading area until the helicopter
has departed. Keep the landing area free from loose
debris or “foreign object damage” (FOD) that may be
blown about by the downwash from the rotor blades or
sucked up by jet intakes.
During flight quarters, the flight deck of an aircraft
carrier is a dangerous place. This deck, combined with
the hangar deck, magazines, and shops, provides the
equivalent operating facilities of a large airfield.
However, the hazards associated with aircraft
operations are focused into a relatively small area.
Therefore, personnel are exposed to a greater potential
of danger.
REVIEW 3 QUESTIONS
Q1. List four boat safety precautions that every Sailor
should know.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Q2. If a boat swamps, what usually causes a loss of
personnel?
Q3. Why should you learn the location of cleats,
bitts, and pad eyes on a ship’s deck?
Q4. What are two hazards found on flight decks of
aircraft carriers?
a.
b.
LIFELINES, LADDERS, AND
SCAFFOLDING
Lifelines, as used here, refer to lines erected around
the edges of weather decks. They are safety barriers to
prevent personnel from falling or being washed over the
side. Never sit, lean, or stand on any lifeline—if the ship
takes a sudden roll while you are leaning against a
lifeline, you could fall overboard.
Never remove lifelines without permission from the
proper authority. When removing a lifeline,
19-6
Student Notes:
