Updates on PPE Requirements from UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Seafarer Safety and Health Branch has issued an updated notice regarding the safety standards for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The notice states that shipowners or employers must provide PPE to seafarers free of charge, unless the equipment is not exclusive to the workplace. In that case, seafarers and other workers may be required to contribute towards the cost. The equipment provided must be suitable, appropriate for the risks, and correctly fitting the seafarer or worker.

If seafarers and workers choose to supply their own PPE, it must meet the appropriate standard and be used for specific types of work outlined in the document. However, the shipowner and employer remain responsible for ensuring that seafarers and workers are correctly equipped with suitable PPE and that it is easily accessible, properly stored, and maintained. The equipment must also be regularly inspected in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

It is the shipowner and employer’s responsibility to ensure that PPE is used as instructed and that seafarers and workers receive appropriate training on how and when to use the equipment. Seafarers and workers are required to wear and use the PPE issued to them when appropriate, and to comply with any instruction provided on wearing and maintenance.

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