The objective of these recommendations is to encourage the
adoption of safety procedures aimed at preventing casualties to ships'
personnel entering enclosed spaces where there may be an oxygen-deficient,
oxygen-enriched, flammable and/or toxic atmosphere.
Investigations into the circumstances of casualties that
have occurred have shown that accidents on board ships are in most
cases caused by an insufficient knowledge of, or disregard for, the
need to take precautions rather than a lack of guidance.
The following practical recommendations apply to all types
of ships and provide guidance to ship operators and seafarers. It
should be noted that on ships where entry into enclosed spaces may
be infrequent, for example, on certain passenger ships or small general
cargo ships, the dangers may be less apparent, and accordingly there
may be a need for increased vigilance.
The recommendations are intended to complement national
laws or regulations, accepted standards or particular procedures which
may exist for specific trades, ships or types of shipping operations.
It may be impracticable to apply some recommendations to
particular situations. In such cases, every endeavour should be made
to observe the intent of the recommendations, and attention should
be paid to the risks that may be involved.