§ 4102. Safety equipment

740 words·~3 min read·/usc/title-46/section-4102

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(a)Each uninspected vessel propelled by machinery shall be provided with the number, type, and size of fire extinguishers, capable of promptly and effectively extinguishing burning liquid fuel, that may be prescribed by regulation. The fire extinguishers shall be kept in condition for immediate and effective use and so placed as to be readily accessible.

(b)The Secretary shall prescribe regulations requiring the installation, maintenance, and use of life preservers and other lifesaving devices for individuals on board uninspected vessels.

(c)Each uninspected vessel shall have the carburetors of each engine of the vessel (except an outboard motor) using gasoline as fuel, equipped with an efficient flame arrestor, backfire trap, or other similar device prescribed by regulation.

(d)Each uninspected vessel using a volatile liquid as fuel shall be provided with the means prescribed by regulation for properly and efficiently ventilating the bilges of the engine and fuel tank compartments, so as to remove any explosive or flammable gases.

(e)Each manned uninspected vessel owned in the United States and operating beyond 3 nautical miles from the baselines from which the territorial sea of the United States is measured or beyond three nautical miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes shall be equipped with the number and type of alerting and locating equipment, including emergency position indicating radio beacons, prescribed by the Secretary.

(1)The Secretary, in consultation with the National Towing Safety Advisory Committee and taking into consideration the characteristics, methods of operation, and nature of service of towing vessels, may require the installation, maintenance, and use of a fire suppression system or other measures to provide adequate assurance that fires on board towing vessels can be suppressed under reasonably foreseeable circumstances.

(2)The Secretary shall require under paragraph

(1)the use of a fire suppression system or other measures to provide adequate assurance that a fire on board a towing vessel that is towing a non-self-propelled tank vessel can be suppressed under reasonably foreseeable circumstances.

(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 528; Pub. L. 99–640, § 16, Nov. 10, 1986, 100 Stat. 3552; Pub. L. 100–424, § 2(c), Sept. 9, 1988, 102 Stat. 1590; Pub. L. 100–540, § 1(a), Oct. 28, 1988, 102 Stat. 2719; Pub. L. 104–324, title IX, § 902(a), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3947; Pub. L. 105–383, title III, § 301(b)(3), Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3417; Pub. L. 111–281, title VI, § 619, Oct. 15, 2010, 124 Stat. 2975; Pub. L. 115–282, title VI, § 601(c)(6)(B)(ii), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4290.)

Section 4102 requires uninspected vessels to comply with certain provisions that incorporate minimum safety equipment and construction requirements. The Committee intends that the term life preserver include all types of personal equipment, including exposure suits with floatation characteristics.