Executive Summary
This Instruction provides guidance to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) national, regional, and area offices; employers and employees; State Plan; and federal agencies concerning OSHA’s policy and procedures for implementing intervention and inspection programs to reduce or eliminate workplace hazards related to shipyard employment. OSHA is committed to conducting focused interventions in the shipyard industry (29 CFR Part 1915) to reduce workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
This Instruction provides information and enforcement guidance to support OSHA’s inspection efforts in shipyard employment and:
- Provides OSHA compliance officers and consultants, and other interested government and industry parties, with information to support shipyard employment intervention efforts and to minimize employee exposure to hazards.
- Provides new guidance regarding applicability of 29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart D – Walking-Working Surfaces in Shipyard Employment.
- Supports the reduction of occupational exposure to hazards through direct intervention; the promotion of a safety and health culture through compliance assistance, cooperative programs, and strong leadership; and maximizes OSHA’s effectiveness and efficiency.
Significant Changes
This Instruction has been revised and updated to include the following significant changes:
- Updates references and directives to include new documents and the current versions of documents previously listed.
- Updates guidance regarding the applicability of 29 CFR Part 1910, general industry standards, to shipyard employment worksites (Appendix A).
- Updates answers to commonly asked shipyard employment questions and incorporates recently issued interpretations and final regulations (Appendix B).
- Updates and adds electronic links to enhance web-based usability.
