Guide to walking down steps on ship - frontwards or backwards?

[ozscott]

I have a feeling that despite the heros on Patrol Boat ripping down steps frontwards the safest method of going down the steep stairs with rails on a ship is backwards...does anyone know what is taught to those on commercial boats these days or can anyone point me to an online safety guide/training manual for merchant seaman.

Cheers

[goggles]

HI ozscott maybe if u were to contact amsa ' Australian Maritime Safety Authority' they may be able to tell u where to look. Thanks Goggles

[Blackened]

G'day

Whe doing the deckies course at TAFE, we were always taught to go down backwards. Has been the same with any skipper i've worked with aswell.

Dave

[ozscott]

good on you - thanks fellas

[Noelm]

very common to go down "forwards" but always up backwards, I don't think there is any real "laws" about it, but that's just the way it is done especially in the Navy. I guess if it were a true ladder then it may be done backwards all the time.

[kingtin]

I was taught to go down forwards so that you are aware of any trouble coming your way. Off active service, it may be different, but old habits die hard. ;D

kev

[seatime]

Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seamen. UK Dept of Trade, is the guide most referred to for safety onboard. There is a section on 'movement about the ship' or similar, don't think it actually states which way to negotiate stairs with rails. It will mostly talk about assessing risks, movement of the ship, suitable footware, etc. I would always go down stairs, accomodation ladders & gangways sideways, so you always have your whole sole on the step. Always holding to the rail of course, and alert to the possibility of the ship lurching/rolling.
one tip; don't jump over or stand on storm steps, you could knock yourself out.

cheers

[wessel]

Either way, as long as you have three point contact.
At all times you have either two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand in contact with the staircase.

When all hell breaks loose, then all bets are off and you just make sure you get to the bottom as fast as you can without breaking your neck. Think sliding down the railing on your hands with your feet way off the stairs. If the ship rolls at the same time, then gravity can work mighty hard against you:-X
If the coxswain sees you doing that then your life is just not worth living anymore either....


Wessel

[disorderly]

Thats really interesting Wessel.
In regards to you three points theory,its just about impossible to go forwards down stairs and maintain 3 points of contact.(sorry,I'm thinking more of a steep ladder type situation here)
I recently did a skidsteer loader course and was pulled up on disembarking in a forward manner(my usual method)and was actually told that I would be failed if I did it during the test.This is despite me being a owner/operator and some of the other students never having driven one before.Weird!!

Scott

[Brumby]

I was taught to go down forwards so that you are aware of any trouble coming your way. Off active service, it may be different, but old habits die hard. ;D

kev

So maybe the Patrol Boat heroes have it right after all. Must say, from the little contact I have had with naval types, I got the impression that going down backwards just wasn't done - old ladies only!

[seatime]

It would be uncommon to find a stairway on a ship or boat that is athwart-ship, they're typically fore & aft, usually facing aft, especially on upper decks, so you're not likely to be catapulted off, mostly thrown sideways.
When saying to tackle stairways sideways, I meant facing forwards and turned to the side to have your feet wholly on each step tread, not landing heel first, that's when slips can happen, also helps for bracing if the ship/boat rolls. If it's a gangway with rounded treads at an angle of 30% (practically a ladder), and wet, backwards may be a safer option.
Thongs (the kind you wear on your feet) aren't safe on a moving deck, wet deck, steel steps, also can stub your toe on fittings.:(
At times when I've had to be carrying gear on slippery steps with the ship rolling I've taken the stairs with two feet on each step before stepping down to the next. If you find stairs with the handrails close enough to do the Patrol Boat slide down, practice before you get into heavy weather, and be careful not to go ar$e up when landing, cameras are everywhere.;)

[Wayne_Red]

I once worked with a fellow that worked on a ship for a while. He told me how one of the other engineers took a dislike to him and caused him trouble for a while. He said this fellow would always come down the stairs with his hands on the rails and feet in the air.
One day he had enough, he greased the rails and waited for him at the bottom of the stairs. After landing in a screaming heap he proceeded to kick the crap out of this bloke with his steel caps. Problem solved, he said he never picked on him again.
Off the track a bit but it was a funny story at the time
Regards wayne

[tunaticer]

Under the Australian Standards 1657-1992 the design of the steps is dependant on the angle of the staircase. If it is above 50 degrees from the horizontal the stairway must be designed in such a way that the operator will find it neccessary to use the steps facing the staircase. In saying this technically a staircase above 50 degrees and below 70 degrees is a stepladder and it is probably one of the most dangerous forms of access because it is unsafe to use going down forwards due to lack of foot bearing surface on each tread. If used facing the ladder your toes go well behind the centreline of the ladder ensuring a safe foothold.
My line of work revolves around designing access equipment around machinery and plants and it is the most frustrating environment to conform to the code with. There are nearly always some form of tradeoff within the code to be able to create a safe environment.

Jack

[wessel]

Tunaticer, I feel your pain mate.

If you want my blood pressure from zero to through the roof in one second flat, then install a scaffold pipe just behind one of the rungs on a cat ladder......

wessel

[mitch92]

I went on a sailing vessel "south passage" and was told that in the weather we had (very smooth, not even a ripple when we were trying to sail) going down forward would be ok but in the rough stuff that backwards was safer for the type of ladder on that ship as you could ensure the boom wouldnt smack you over the back of the head. i think it depends on each ships own merits.

[Fish Guts]

i personally think its definately safer to go down facing the ladder. imagine yourself on the tuna tower of a game boat and trying to make your way down the ladder forwards (facing away from the ladder), your more inclined to slip out a footing. In a bit of swell....gooooooooooooooooone ski.

[ozscott]

Yep - I reckon that on a steep set of steps/ladder, facing the steps is the best - I asked the question because I know a fellow who was criticised for stepping down a ladder facing it instead of facing out - it was from a light plane, but the same principles apply - steep ladder, significantly differing riser and going sizes and a plastic coated cable "handrail" (the handrail was was almost vertical).

Cheers all.