Describe

A safety lamp approved as part of ships statutory equipment

LIFEBUOY SELF-IGNITING LIGHTS

Answer.

Safety Lamps

9.2.1 Lamps forming a part of the firemen’s outfit should be of the electric battery operated type, capable of illumination for a period of at least 3 hours. They may be either the hand lamp or cap-lamp type. The batteries must be rechargeable and the hand lamps must be fitted with means for easy attachment of the lamp to the user at about waist level.

9.2.2 Safety lamps are divided into Classes as detailed below. For use with firemen’s outfits they should be Class I (except that Class II lamps may continue to be accepted in existing ships where appropriate).

9.2.3 Electric safety lamps on tankers and those intended to be used in hazardous areas should be of an explosion proof type.

9.2.4 Safety lamps of all Classes should be suitable for use where mixtures of air with flammable gases or vapours may arise, and of a type acceptable to the MCA. For this purpose, all new lamps should have been examined and tested electrically by a Certifying Authority, and hold the requisite certificate of conformity to an acceptable explosion protection standard issued by that Authority. Compliance with the latest Euronorm Standards (BS 5501: Parts 1 to 7) is confirmed by the mark ‘EEx’ on a lamp, but existing approved lamps to BS 1259 SFA 3012: 1972 or BS 4683: Part 4: 1973 may still be allowed on all ships provided they remain in good condition. Lamps certified to the Euronorm standard by any authorised European test house may be accepted provided that the MCA additional requirements are met. Any application for acceptance should be accompanied by a copy of the Certificate. Existing acceptances will continue to be valid.

9.2.5 Class I safety lamps

These lamps are intended for use in any ship, including those carrying cargoes which are, or may give rise to, flammable gases and vapours. All lamps accepted in this Class are suitable for use in petroleum tankers but may not be suitable for all flammable cargoes; special attention should be paid to ensurethat certification is suitable for use with the cargoes of bulk chemical carriers and liquefied gas carriers.

9.2.6 Class II safety lamps

Lamps in this Class are only suitable for use in ships where there is no risk of flammable gas or vapour. Lamps already accepted in this Class remain acceptable for the present, but with the increased possibility of explosive vapours occurring on any ship, no further lamps will be accented in this Class.

9.2.7 Class III safety lamps (torches)

These torches do not meet the requirements for use as part of the firemen’s outfit, but the MCA would raise no objection to their use for general purposes in any ship where there may be a risk from flammable gases or vapours. All torches accepted in this Class are suitable for use in petroleum tankers but may not be suitable for all flammable cargoes; special attention should be paid to ensure that certificate is suitable for use with the cargoes of bulk chemical carriers and liquefied gas carriers.

9.2.8 Class IV safety lamps (air driven)

Air driven lamps are intended only for general purposes but the MCA would raise no objection to the use of lamps accepted in this Class in any ship, including those where there may be a risk from flammable gases or vapours.

LIFEBUOY SELF-IGNITING LIGHTS

Construction

1.1 It shall be constructed to withstand a drop into the water from the height at which it is stowed above the waterline in the lightest seagoing condition or 30 metres, whichever is the greater, without impairing either its operating capability or that of the lifebuoy to which it is attached.

1.2 It shall be provided with means for being efficiently attached to a lifebuoy.

1.3 A lifebuoy self-igniting light attached to a lifebuoy carried by tanker shall be of an electric battery type.

1.4 Components of electronic circuits should comply with the quality control requirements of BS 9000 or an equivalent standard. Where components cannot be obtained under one of the above standards these components may be covered by a Certificate of Conformance from the manufacturer of the components.

Performance

2.1 A lifebuoy self-igniting light shall be such that it cannot be extinguished by water.

2.2 It shall be capable of either burning continuously with a luminous intensity of not less than 2 candela in all directions of the upper hemisphere or flashing (discharge flashing) at a rate of not less than 50 flashes and not more than 70 flashes per minute with at least the corresponding effective luminous intensity and be provided with a source of energy which will give this performance for a period of at least 2 hours.

2.3 It shall be capable of withstanding the drop test required by Part 2 paragraph 1.4.

Marking

3. A lifebuoy self-igniting light shall be marked indelibly with –

3.1 the manufacturer’s name or trade mark;

3.2 clear and concise directions for use in English supported where necessary by illustrations;

3.3 the type of energy source;

3.4 the date of manufacture and expiry in the case of a light with a non-replaceable energy source; and

3.5 the maximum height above waterline at which it can be stowed.

Small Passenger Ship Regulations

regs 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9

Other Ships Regulations

regs 24, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48

63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, and 69

Maintenance

The performance of electric lamps will deteriorate with time. Eventually they fail and the lamps must be replaced. Simple lamp replacement becomes the most obvious maintenance task. When aluminaire fails to light-up when switched on, it is natural to suspect lamp failure. If this does not solve the problem, checks on the lamp control equipment and power supply must follow. An incandescent lamp may be checked(out of circuit) for low-ohm continuity using a multimeter. If the lamp appears intact then the fault must lie in the supply or its connections. Voltage and continuity checks of the supply, fuse/MCB and ballast circuit must be applied. Remember that a single earth fault on an insulated two-wire lighting supply will not blow a fuse. However, a similar earth fault on an earthed supply system(as used for a 110V transformer supply to deck sockets for portable tools and hand lamps) will blow a fuse.