Shipbuilding >> Cleaning and Other Cold Work

Figure 1: Illustration of cleaning and other cold work
Figure 1: Illustration of cleaning and other cold work.

Cleaning and other cold work in new vessels may require manual activities such as scraping, vacuuming, sweeping, or pumping.

The majority of shipbuilding cleaning and other cold work is conducted during the later stages of vessel construction. Flammable/combustive adhesives, solvents, paints, and coatings may also be applied at any point in vessel construction.

Work may take place in confined or enclosed spaces. A worker may be struck by high pressure equipment, slip, trip or fall while cleaning machinery spaces, bilges, or ballast tanks. This module addresses the steps to follow for safe cleaning and cold work during shipbuilding:

Note: Confined space entry is one of the leading hazards associated with barge cleaning. Review the Shipbuilding: Confined or Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres chapter for information on how to protect workers from this hazard.