PSC deficiency code 18420: Cleanliness of engine room
Area 18 Maritime Labour Convention, 2006
Code 18420 sits in the labour conditions group of the code list, which follows MLC 2006, under health protection and medical care. It looks at the engine room as a workplace: slippery floor plates, oily ladders, rubbish and gear left in walkways. The same title also appears as 09232 in the working and living conditions group, where the fire risk side is covered. The inspector's doubt is whether the engine crew can work and escape there without slipping or tripping.
What the inspector looks at
The judgement is made on the engine room round.
- Floor plates, gratings and ladder treads free of oil and grease, so they give a safe footing
- Handrails on ladders and platforms clean enough to grip
- Walkways, escape routes and the emergency escape trunk clear of spares, drums and scrap
- Oily rags and waste in closed metal bins, emptied regularly
- Chemicals, paints and cleaning agents stored in their locker, labelled and secured, with safety data sheets available
- Leaks that keep feeding oil onto the plates
Common findings
- Engine room floor plates slippery with oil, risk of slipping
- Ladder to lower platform contaminated with oil, handrail greasy
- Walkway around main engine obstructed by spare parts and drums
- Emergency escape trunk used for storage
- Oily rags and waste stored in open containers
- Chemicals stored on floor plates without labels
The rule behind it
MLC 2006 Regulation 4.3 and Standard A4.3 require the flag State to set rules on occupational safety and health on board, and ships to work under a programme that prevents occupational accidents, injuries and diseases. Guideline B4.3 refers to the ILO code of practice on accident prevention on board ship. The fire hazard from oil in machinery spaces is a SOLAS chapter II-2 matter, and keeping machinery free of leaks belongs to the ship's ISM maintenance system.
Action codes you are likely to see
Cleaning a ladder or clearing a walkway while the inspector is on board is often 10. A general clean-up of the space is usually 17. Leaks that need parts or shore repair may get 16. The IMO list of detainable deficiencies includes insufficient cleanliness of the engine room and oil-soaked insulation, so a space that is both a fire risk and unsafe to work in can lead to 30, often with an ISM finding (15150). See action taken codes.
How to close it
The chief engineer organises the clean-up and repairs the leaks that caused it, so the plates stay dry after the inspector leaves. Clear the escape routes and the escape trunk, move stores to their lockers and replace open bins with closed metal ones. Record any oily waste collected in the Oil Record Book. Keep before and after photos and the work orders with the Form B. Check the bilge pumping arrangements at the same time, and see access and structural features for ladders and walkways damaged rather than dirty.