What first aid kit?

[MikeL]

Hi - for a commercial vessel operating no more then 12 miles from land etc... What is the required first aid kit to be carried,

I have tried google and got lots of info that contradicted itself!

Any ideas?

Mike

[TonyC]

I believe to be coded (i.e. commercial) you have to have a Category C first aid kit on board

[MikeL]

Cheers,

[tugandtow]

look at MSN 1768, SHIPS’ MEDICAL STORES

http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/1768.pdf

tells you everything you need to know

[Razorbill RIBs]

Mike,

The Cat C kit is indeed required, but does seem to contain a lot of kit you won't really need for 'day to day' accidents......

If you are hiring a liferaft you will probably need to meet the Solas B standard.....This includes a cat C first aid kit.

In order that it's accesible (and to appease the assesor) I requested my liferaft with a seperate Solas B grab bag (could have been inside the raft otherwise) which is kept handy in case you should need to abandon etc. As such, the cat C kit is easily accessed, but so as not to have to use anything from there unnecesarily (and having to pay for it when handing the liferaft back) we also carry a full 'day to day' first aid kit in the console which is our first choice for basic stuff....

This option doesn't cost any more than just hiring the liferaft and means your more expensive Cat C first aid kit is always in date (with each new hire agreement).

The added bonus if is that the Solas Bag also contains other stuff your assesor will require e.g reflective mirror /Thermal protective aids etc......

May be worth considering if space is available for a seperate grab bag....saves doubling up on kit!

Dan

[Doug Stormforce]

Cat C kit is required for vessel up to 60 NM from a safe haven. Vessels operating inland or in Cat A-C waters are not required to carry cat C kit, Vessels in Code 1 (Upto 150NM) carry Cat B and beyond (Code 0) carry Cat A


Dont confuse areas cat A-D with Kits cat A-C, they have no relation.

Originally Posted by Dan Worth

Mike,

In order that it's accesible (and to appease the assesor) I requested my liferaft with a seperate Solas B grab bag (could have been inside the raft otherwise) which is kept handy in case you should need to abandon etc. As such, the cat C kit is easily accessed, but so as not to have to use anything from there unnecesarily (and having to pay for it when handing the liferaft back) we also carry a full 'day to day' first aid kit in the console which is our first choice for basic stuff....

This option doesn't cost any more than just hiring the liferaft and means your more expensive Cat C first aid kit is always in date (with each new hire agreement).

The added bonus if is that the Solas Bag also contains other stuff your assesor will require e.g reflective mirror /Thermal protective aids etc......

I don't think the reason for carrying a Cat C kit in a grab bag and not in the raft is to appease an inspector. A cert from your packing company that confirms you have Solas kit in the raft will appease the inspector.

[Razorbill RIBs]

Hi Doug,

You are better qualified to know what kit is required for which waters....and I will stand corrected if stating that Cat C first aid kit was required was incorrect......All I know is that for my coding at Category 4 (20 miles safe haven daylight) I was definately required (asked by my assesor) to carry Cat C first aid kit.....

Further, I guess it may just have been my inspectors interpretation, but he was quite insistant that the boat itself had the Cat C kit (i.e. it was to hand).

If It was in the liferaft container it was not, as he saw it, accesible (unless you opened the liferaft container). He would, therefore, have required me to carry a seperate Cat C to that held as part of the Solas B kit.

He had exactly the same view regarding the items like the TPA's and reflective mirror etc if they were in the liferaft container....i.e I would have to have had duplicates on the boat itself - which were accesible.

As such, requesting that my liferaft supplier provided the Solas B kit as a seperate grab bag saved this duplication (and money) without being any less 'safe'.

All seemed quite logical to me too.....

Must admit, throughout the coding experience it was at times frustrating to learn of different assesors interpretations....it all seemed a bit loose /open to interpretation (the 250mm freeboard issue /Emergency steering interpretations to name two).

I am also perplexed as to how some RIBs achieve Cat 3 without shelter....I know there is a way you can show that a RIB 'tent' is available, but I know of another operator with NO shelter who has cat 3 (20 miles SH day and night)........

Dan

[Razorbill RIBs]

Hi Doug,

You are better qualified to know what kit is required for which waters....and I will stand corrected if stating that Cat C first aid kit was required was incorrect......All I know is that for my coding at Category 4 (20 miles safe haven daylight) I was definately required (asked by my assesor) to carry Cat C first aid kit.....

Further, I guess it may just have been my inspectors interpretation, but he was quite insistant that the boat itself had the Cat C kit (i.e. it was to hand).

If It was in the liferaft container it was not, as he saw it, accesible (unless you opened the liferaft container). He would, therefore, have required me to carry a seperate Cat C to that held as part of the Solas B kit.

He had exactly the same view regarding the items like the TPA's and reflective mirror etc if they were in the liferaft container....i.e I would have to have had duplicates on the boat itself - which were accesible.

As such, requesting that my liferaft supplier provided the Solas B kit as a seperate grab bag saved this duplication (and money) without being any less 'safe'.

All seemed quite logical to me too.....

Must admit, throughout the coding experience it was at times frustrating to learn of different assesors interpretations....it all seemed a bit loose /open to interpretation (the 250mm freeboard issue /Emergency steering interpretations to name two).

I am also perplexed as to how some RIBs achieve Cat 3 without shelter....I know there is a way you can show that a RIB 'tent' is available, but I know of another operator with NO shelter who has cat 3 (20 miles SH day and night)........

Dan

[MikeL]

Sorry a little confused again!

My boat will only every operate upto 12 miles offshore.

There is currently an argument about if it is a commercial boat or not as it is a large police rib.

If it is a commercial boat what first aid kit must it carry under the MCA codes?

Cheers

Mike

[Razorbill RIBs]

Mike,

Generally I found it quite difficult to pin down specific details of what was required for Coding when I was going through it, so please accept my apologies if i have muddied the waters....

For the record, my coding is to MCA Cat 4 (20 miles from Safe Haven and in Daylight etc) and having looked back through my list of reqirements I can confirm that I definately needed to carry a Cat C first aid kit (and was required that it be accesible on the boat itself, as detailed previously).

Someone like Doug will be better placed to advise you on what you require for 12 miles, so I will bow out

Dan