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1. All welding work shall be carried out by a properly qualified ified and certified welder who is acceptable to the third party for whom the welding work is to be performed. 2. A gas free certificate shall be obtained either from an cal approved agent or the relevant Port of Statutory or Local ot Authority prior to the commencement of any welding or hot ft. works being undertaken on, to, or near any vessel or craft. d 3. A suitable fire safety boundary shall be established d and maintained until such time as the area is cold and declared safe. Now, someone must take responsibility and sign off on this type of compliance. As you can imagine, this is just a snapshot of a long list of clauses designed to protect the insurer against shoddy contractors. Also of note, electrical soldering is included in the definition of hot works. It should also be noted that outside the marine industry nties general liability insurers also have similar "hot work" warranties ry in their General Liability policies, so the insurance industry is fairly consistent and this is not unique to marine. Fires in shipyards are the primary cause of major losses under the insurance of both ship builders and repairers. As a result it constitutes the biggest premium rating factor and a lot of attention is given to how hot work is conducted in the yard. Two of the recent ship repairers claims against their liability insurance were both declined by the insurers for breach of the "Hot work warranty" and the subcontractors who had caused the problems either had no insurance at all or similar hot work warranties and/or their GL policies did not cover work on "watercraft." As a result the primary ship repairer contractors were left to look at their ests hull voids gas Evidence sugg the presence of not tested for were Specialising in all Marine Fire Safety requirements SERVICING (LLOYD'S ACCREDITED) Experienced, qualified professional • Extinguishers (all types portable & fixed) • Hose reels, lay-flat Fire-hose and couplings • Pressure testing • Refilling CERTIFICATION Certificates provided with all work CONSULTANCY IQP Registered, NZQA Certified FPANZ Member SALES Comprehensive range of MSA approved fire extinguishers and fire safety equipment 101 Beaumont St, Westhaven, Auckland Phone 09 357 6767 Fax 357 6769 26 Professional Skipper July/August 2013 VIP.S49 When a mate's D IY chea p job go es wron g "Terms of Service" contract with their customers and negotiate a settlement as best they could without the protection of any insurance. The sad thing is that in the cases of which I'm aware, the primary contractors are quality operators and their management had rigorous protocols to minimise the chances of what occurred. As a result of this situation we asked one insurer, QBE, who have recently been able to offer a partial solution for ship repairers in what they call Breach of Condition Extension. QBE says that they provide a buy out for a significant additional premium if an employee or sub-contractor causes damage while operating in breach of the hot work warranty. However, there is an increased onus upon management being able to prove that they have provided adequate staff training and induction of subcontractors into yard practice, and that their hot work protocols and procedures are compliant. In the case of the recreational craft Blue Heaven, the evidence suggests that the hull voids were not tested to ensure the voids were gas free before welding repairs commenced. Sadly, the trusting owner was left with a semi destroyed vessel and the engineering company was fined $20,000 plus and ordered to pay $5000 to each of the injured victims – a total of $30,000 for what should have been a $150 repair job. Likewise, another recreational launch was getting a bit of hot works done by a mate when the vessel caught fire. Unfortunately, by the time the fire brigade arrived two adjacent vessels were also alight and you guessed it, our happy fire maker was nowhere to be seen. If the owners are insured (and some may not be), it leaves another mess for the insurers and owners in sorting out just who is liable. I guess the moral of this story is that if you are intending to have hot works carried out on your vessel, check with your insurers, check with the yard, and above all, check that the contractor is suitably qualified and that he also carries the appropriate insurance – even if it is only your electronics or electrical service person. If the worker is soldering, check the surroundings are gas free, clear the immediate area of combustibles and have a fire extinguisher handy as you maintain a fire watch for at least one hour after the soldering is complete, no matter how small the job. It is extremely important to also log your actions to create a record. Yes, we all log our actions, "yeah right" and but for the grace of God go I. When a fire breaks out all too often questions remain unanswered or are unsupported by evidence and as such present an escape route for an insurer, leaving a trail of devastation for the owner. www.skipper.co.nz