Inspecting Boatswain's Chairs
A Boatswain's Chair is a suspended seat designed to accommodate one worker in a sitting position. It is most commonly used by window washers to clean the outside of buildings. It may be also used to clean the inside of storage tanks, etc.
A suspended seat designed to accommodate one worker in a sitting position.
- Check to make sure boatswain's chair tackle consists of the following:
- correct-size ball bearings or bushed blocks containing safety hooks
- properly eye-spliced first-grade manila rope, or other rope of equivalent strength and durability
- Inspect seat slings to make sure they:
- pass through four corner holes in the seat
- across on the underside of the seat
- are rigged to prevent slippage which could cause the chair to be out-of-level
- are at least 5/8-inch diameter fiber, synthetic, or other first-grade manila rope of equivalent criteria (strength, slip resistance, durability, etc.)
- seat slings used for gas or arc welding are made of at least 3/8-inch wire rope
- Check to make sure non-cross-laminated wood chairs are reinforced on the underside with cleats to keep the board from splitting.
- Check wood seats for boatswain's chairs to make sure they are:
- no less than 1 inch thick (if made of non-laminated wood)
- 5/8-inch thick (if made of marine-quality plywood)
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
6-2. Which is approved for a boatswain's chair sling rope when the worker is washing windows?
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