Convention C92
ACCOMMODATION OF CREWS CONVENTION (REVISED), 1949
(18.06.1949)
Convention concerning
Crew Accommodation on Board Ship (Revised 1949)
The
General Conference of the International Labour Organisation,
Having
been convened at Geneva by the Governing Body of the International Labour
Office, and having met in its Thirty-second Session on 8 June 1949, and
Having
decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the partial
revision of the Accommodation of Crews Convention, 1946, adopted by the
Conference at its Twenty-eighth Session, which is included in the twelfth item
on the agenda of the session, and
Considering
that these proposals must take the form of an international Convention,
adopts
this eighteenth day of June of the year one thousand nine hundred and
forty-nine the following Convention, which may be cited as the Accommodation of
Crews Convention (Revised), 1949:
1.
This Convention applies to every sea-going mechanically propelled vessel,
whether publicly or privately owned, which is engaged in the transport of cargo
or passengers for the purpose of trade and is registered in a territory for
which this Convention is in force.
2.
National laws or regulations shall determine when vessels are to be regarded as
sea-going vessels for the purpose of this Convention.
3.
This Convention does not apply to:
a) vessels of
less than 500 tons;
b) vessels
primarily propelled by sail but having auxiliary engines;
c) vessels
engaged in fishing or in whaling or in similar pursuits;
d) tugs.
4.
Provided that the Convention shall be applied where reasonable and practicable
to:
a) vessels
between 200 and 500 tons; and
b) the
accommodation of persons engaged in usual sea-going routine in vessels engaged
in whaling or in similar pursuits.
5.
Provided also that any of the requirements contained in Part III of this
Convention may be varied in the case of any ship if the competent authority is
satisfied, after consultation with the organisations of shipowners and/or the
shipowners and with the bona fide trade unions of seafarers, that the
variations to be made provide corresponding advantages as a result of which the
over-all conditions are not less favourable than those which would result from
the full application of the provisions of the Convention; particulars of all
such variations shall be communicated by the Member to the Director-General of
the International Labour Office, who shall notify the Members of the
International Labour Organisation.
In
this Convention:
a) the term ship
means a vessel to which the Convention applies;
b) the term tons
means gross register tons;
c) the term passenger
ship means a ship in respect of which there is in force either (i) a safety
certificate issued in accordance with the provisions of the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea for the time being in force or (ii) a
passenger certificate;
d) the term officer
means a person other than a master ranked as an officer by national laws or
regulations, or, in the absence of any relevant laws or regulations, by
collective agreement or custom;
e) the term rating
means a member of the crew other than an officer;
f) the term petty
officer means a rating serving in a supervisory position or position of
special responsibility who is classed as petty officer by national laws or
regulations, or, in the absence of any relevant laws or regulations, by
collective agreement or custom;
g) the term crew
accommodation includes such sleeping rooms, mess rooms, sanitary
accommodation, hospital accommodation and recreation accommodation as are
provided for the use of the crew;
h) the term prescribed
means prescribed by national laws or regulations or by the competent
authority;
i) the term approved
means approved by the competent authority;
j) the term re-registered
means re-registered on the occasion of a simultaneous change in the
territory of registration and ownership of the vessel.
1.
Each Member for which this Convention is in force undertakes to maintain in
force laws or regulations which ensure the application of the provisions of
Parts II, III and IV of this Convention.
2.
The laws or regulations shall:
a) require the
competent authority to bring them to the notice of all persons concerned;
b) define the
persons responsible for compliance therewith;
c) prescribe
adequate penalties for any violation thereof;
d) provide for
the maintenance of a system of inspection adequate to ensure effective
enforcement;
e) require the
competent authority to consult the organisations of shipowners and/or the
shipowners and the recognised bona fide trade unions of seafarers in regard to
the framing of regulations, and to collaborate so far as practicable with such
parties in the administration thereof.
PART II. PLANNING AND
CONTROL OF CREW ACCOMMODATION
1.
Before the construction of a ship is begun a plan of the ship, showing on a
prescribed scale the location and general arrangement of the crew
accommodation, shall be submitted for approval to the competent authority.
2.
Before the construction of the crew accommodation is begun and before the crew
accommodation in an existing ship is altered or reconstructed, detailed plans
of, and information concerning, the accommodation, showing on a prescribed
scale and in prescribed detail the allocation of each space, the disposition of
furniture and fittings, the means and arrangement of ventilation, lighting and
heating, and the sanitary arrangements, shall be submitted for approval to the
competent authority: Provided that in the case of emergency or temporary
alterations or reconstruction effected outside the territory of registration it
shall be sufficient compliance with this provision if the plans are
subsequently submitted for approval to the competent authority.
On
every occasion when:
a) a ship is
registered or re-registered,
b) the crew
accommodation of a ship has been substantially altered or reconstructed, or
c) complaint has
been made to the competent authority in the prescribed manner and in time to
prevent any delay to the vessel by a recognised bona fide trade union of
seafarers representing all or part of the crew or by a prescribed number or
proportion of the members of the crew of the ship that the crew accommodation
is not in compliance with the terms of this Convention,
the
competent authority shall inspect the ship and satisfy itself that the crew
accommodation complies with the requirements of the laws and regulations.
PART III. CREW
ACCOMMODATION REQUIREMENTS
1.
The location, means of access, structure and arrangement in relation to other
spaces of crew accommodation shall be such as to ensure adequate security,
protection against weather and sea, and insulation from heat or cold, undue
noise or effluvia from other spaces.
2.
There shall be no direct openings into sleeping rooms from spaces for cargo and
machinery or from galleys, lamp and paint rooms or from engine, deck and other
bulk storerooms, drying rooms, communal wash places or water closets. That part
of the bulkhead separating such places from sleeping rooms and external
bulkheads shall be efficiently constructed of steel or other approved substance
and shall be watertight and gastight.
3.
External bulkheads of sleeping rooms and mess rooms shall be adequately
insulated. All machinery casings and all boundary bulkheads of galleys and
other spaces in which heat is produced shall be adequately insulated where
there is a possibility of resulting heat effects in adjoining accommodation or
passageways. Care shall also be taken to provide protection from heat effects
of steam and/or hot-water service pipes.
4.
Internal bulkheads shall be of approved material which is not likely to harbour
vermin.
5.
Sleeping rooms, mess rooms, recreation rooms and alley-ways in the crew
accommodation space shall be adequately insulated to prevent condensation or
overheating.
6.
Main steam and exhaust pipes for winches and similar gear shall not pass
through crew accommodation nor, whenever technically possible, through
alley-ways leading to crew accommodation; where they do pass through such
alley-ways they shall be adequately insulated and encased.
7.
Inside panelling or sheeting shall be of material with a surface easily kept
clean. Tongued and grooved boarding or any other form of construction likely to
harbour vermin shall not be used.
8.
The competent authority shall decide to what extent fire-prevention or
fire-retarding measures shall be required to be taken in the construction of
the accommodation.
9.
The wall surface and deckheads in sleeping rooms and mess rooms shall be
capable of being easily kept clean and, if painted, shall be light in colour;
lime wash must not be used.
10.
The wall surfaces shall be renewed or restored as necessary.
11.
The decks in all crew accommodation shall be of approved material and
construction and shall provide a surface impervious to damp and easily kept
clean.
12.
Where the floorings are of composition the joinings with sides shall be rounded
to avoid crevices.
13.
Sufficient drainage shall be provided.
1.
Sleeping rooms and mess rooms shall be adequately ventilated.
2.
The system of ventilation shall be controlled so as to maintain the air in a
satisfactory condition and to ensure a sufficiency of air movement in all
conditions of weather and climate.
3.
Ships regularly engaged on voyages in the tropics and the Persian Gulf shall be
equipped with both mechanical means of ventilation and electric fans: Provided
that one only of these means need be adopted in spaces where this ensures
satisfactory ventilation.
4.
Ships engaged outside the tropics shall be equipped with either mechanical
means of ventilation or electric fans. The competent authority may exempt ships
normally employed in the cold waters of the northern or southern hemispheres
from this requirement.
5.
Power for the operation of the aids to ventilation required by paragraphs 3 and
4 shall, when practicable, be available at all times when the crew is living or
working on board and conditions so require.
1.
An adequate system of heating the crew accommodation shall be provided except
in ships engaged exclusively in voyages in the tropics and the Persian Gulf.
2.
The heating system shall, when practicable, be in operation at all times when
the crew is living or working on board and conditions require its use.
3.
In all ships in which a heating system is required, the heating shall be by
means of steam, hot water, warm air or electricity.
4.
In any ships in which heating is provided by a stove, measures shall be taken
to ensure that the stove is of sufficient size and is properly installed and
guarded and that the air is not fouled.
5.
The heating system shall be capable of maintaining the temperature in crew
accommodation at a satisfactory level under normal conditions of weather and
climate likely to be met with on service; the competent authority shall
prescribe the standard to be provided.
6.
Radiators and other heating apparatus shall be so placed and, where necessary,
shielded as to avoid risk of fire or danger or discomfort to the occupants.
1.
Subject to such special arrangements as may be permitted in passenger ships,
sleeping rooms and mess rooms shall be properly lighted by natural light and
shall be provided with adequate artificial light.
2.
All crew spaces shall be adequately lighted. The minimum standard for natural
lighting in living rooms shall be such as to permit a person with a normal
vision to read on a clear day an ordinary newspaper in any part of the space
available for free movement. When it is not possible to provide adequate
natural lighting, artificial lighting of the above minimum standard shall be
provided.
3.
In all ships electric lights shall be provided in the crew accommodation. If
there are not two independent sources of electricity for lighting, additional
lighting shall be provided by properly constructed lamps or lighting apparatus
for emergency use.
4.
Artificial lighting shall be so disposed as to give the maximum benefit to the
occupants of the room.
5.
In sleeping rooms an electric reading lamp shall be installed at the head of
each berth.
1.
Sleeping rooms shall be situated above the load line amidships or aft.
2.
In exceptional cases the competent authority may, if the size, type or intended
service of the ship render any other location unreasonable or impracticable,
permit the location of sleeping rooms in the fore part of the ship, but in no
case forward of the collision bulkhead.
3.
In passenger ships the competent authority may, on condition that satisfactory
arrangements are made for lighting and ventilation, permit the location of
sleeping rooms below the load line, but in no case immediately beneath working
alley-ways.
4.
The floor area per person of sleeping rooms intended for ratings shall be not
less than:
a) 20 sq. ft. or
1.85 sq. m. in vessels under 800 tons;
b) 25 sq. ft. or
2.35 sq. m. in vessels of 800 tons or over, but under 3,000 tons;
c) 30 sq. ft. or
2.78 sq. m. in vessels of 3,000 tons or over:
Provided that,
in the case of passenger ships in which more than four ratings are berthed in
one room, the minimum per person may be 24 sq. ft. (2.22 sq. m.).
5.
In the case of ships in which are employed such groups of ratings as
necessitate the employment of a substantially larger number of ratings than
would otherwise be employed, the competent authority may, in respect of such
groups, reduce the minimum floor area of sleeping rooms per person, subject to
the conditions that:
a) the total
sleeping space allotted to the group or groups is not less than would have been
allotted had the numbers not been so increased, and
b) the minimum
floor area of sleeping rooms is not less than:
i) 18 sq. ft.
(1.67 sq. m.) per person in ships under 3,000 tons;
ii) 20 sq. ft.
(1.85 sq. m.) per person in ships of 3,000 tons or over.
6.
Space occupied by berths and lockers, chests of drawers and seats shall be
included in the measurement of the floor area. Small or irregularly shaped
spaces which do not add effectively to the space available for free movement
and cannot be used for installing furniture shall be excluded.
7.
The clear head room in crew sleeping rooms shall not be less than 6 ft. 3 ins.
(190 cm.).
8.
There shall be a sufficient number of sleeping rooms to provide a separate room
or rooms for each department: Provided that the competent authority may relax
this requirement in the case of small ships.
9.
The number of persons allowed to occupy sleeping rooms shall not exceed the
following maxima:
a) officers in
charge of a department, navigating and engineer officers in charge of a watch
and senior radio officers or operators: one person per room;
b) other
officers: one person per room wherever possible, and in no case more than two;
c) petty officers:
one or two persons per room, and in no case more than two;
d) other
ratings: two or three persons per room wherever possible, and in no case more
than four.
10.
With a view to ensuring adequate and more comfortable accommodation the
competent authority may, after consultation with the organisations of
shipowners and/or the shipowners and the bona fide trade unions of seafarers,
grant permission to accommodate up to ten ratings per sleeping room in the case
of certain passenger ships.
11.
The maximum number of persons to be accommodated in any sleeping room shall be
indelibly and legibly marked in some place in the room where it can
conveniently be seen.
12.
Members of the crew shall be provided with individual berths.
13.
Berths shall not be placed side by side in such a way that access to one berth
can be obtained only over another.
14.
Berths shall not be arranged in tiers of more than two; in the case of berths
placed along the ship's side, there shall be only a single tier where a
sidelight is situated above a berth.
15.
The lower berth in a double tier shall be not less than 12 ins. (30 cm.) above
the floor; the upper berth shall be placed approximately midway between the
bottom of the lower berth and the lower side of the deckhead beams.
16.
The minimum inside dimensions of a berth shall be 6 ft. 3 ins. by 2 ft. 3 ins.
(190 cm. by 68 cm.).
17.
The framework and the lee-board, if any, of a berth shall be of approved
material, hard, smooth, and not likely to corrode or to harbour vermin.
18.
If tubular frames are used for the construction of berths, they shall be
completely sealed and without perforations which would give access to vermin.
19.
Each berth shall be fitted with a spring bottom or a spring mattress and with a
mattress of approved material. Stuffing of straw or other material likely to
harbour vermin shall not be used.
20.
When one berth is placed over another a dust-proof bottom of wood, canvas or
other suitable material shall be fitted beneath the spring bottom of the upper
berth.
21.
Sleeping rooms shall be so planned and equipped as to ensure reasonable comfort
for the occupants and to facilitate tidiness.
22.
The furniture shall include a clothes locker for each occupant. The clothes
lockers shall be not less than 5 ft. (152 cm.) in height and of a cross-section
area of 300 sq. ins. (19.30 sq. decimetres) and shall be fitted with a shelf
and a hasp for a padlock. The padlock shall be provided by the occupant.
23.
Each sleeping room shall be provided with a table or desk, which may be of the
fixed, dropleaf or slide-out type, and with comfortable seating accommodation
as necessary.
24.
The furniture shall be of smooth, hard material not liable to warp or corrode.
25.
The drawer or equivalent space for each occupant shall be not less than 2 cu.
ft. (.056 cu. m.).
26.
Sleeping rooms shall be fitted with curtains for the sidelights.
27.
Sleeping rooms shall be fitted with a mirror, small cabinets for toilet
requisites, a book rack and a sufficient number of coat hooks.
28.
As far as practicable berthing of crew members shall be so arranged that
watches are separated and that no daymen share a room with watch-keepers.