Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Notice

The Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) rulemaking has concluded. The PROWAG final rule has been published in the Federal Register. Please visit the Access Board’s PROWAG page for the guidelines.

Passenger Vessels Access Advisory Committee

Chapter 10 Employee Areas

Note: This chapter only applies to passenger vessels subject to subchapters K or H, except where sections are referenced by chapter 12 which addresses subchapters C and T vessels.

106 Definitions

106.4 Interchangeability. Words, terms and phrases used in the singular includes the plural and the plural the singular.

106.5 Defined Terms.

**Bulkhead Deck. **The uppermost deck to which watertight bulkheads and the watertight shell extend.

**Employee Work Areas. **Employee spaces on vessels not open to passengers.

**Machinery Spaces. **Machinery spaces will be considered as including but not limited to the following spaces: (1) Main machinery spaces, including trunks and casings, alleyways, gratings, and stairways part of and for the exclusive use of these spaces, auxiliary machinery spaces containing internal combustion machinery or other oil burning, heating or pumping units, and fuel oil filling stations. (2) Auxiliary machinery spaces: spaces containing only pumps, tanks, electrical machinery, ventilation or air conditioning equipment, resistors, steering machinery, stabilizer machinery, thruster machinery, etc.

Note: Definition from 46 CFR 72.05-5 (subchapter H) with two insertions.


SCOPING

203 General Exceptions

203.1 General. Passenger vessels shall be exempt from the provisions of this report to the extent specified by 203.

203.2 Employee Cabins. Where employee cabins are provided, employee cabins shall comply with 203.2.1 or 203.2.2.

**EXCEPTION: **Section 203.2 does not apply to passenger vessels without overnight passenger cabins and 15 or less employee cabins.

**203.8.1 (Option A). **One and a half (1.5) percent, but not less than one employee cabin, shall be accessible.

203.8.2 (Option B).
(1) One percent, but not less than one employee cabin, shall be accessible; and
(2) where 50 or more employee cabins are provided, an additional one percent of the employee cabins shall be connected to an accessible route and shall have an entry door and bathroom door which comply with 404.

**203.3 Employee Work Areas. **Except for employee work areas covered by 203.2, employee work areas are not required to be accessible but shall be located on an accessible route where:

a. the work areas are on or above the bulkhead deck; and

b. the work areas are located on a deck where there is a passenger space to which access is required.

**EXCEPTION 1. **Work areas on the bulkhead deck that primarily contain stairs or ladders which connect to work areas below the deck are not required to be connected by an accessible route.

**EXCEPTION 2. **Work areas on the weather decks of sailing vessels are not required to be connected by an accessible route.

**203.3.1 Employee Work Area - Approach, Enter, and Exit. **Employee work areas required to be located on an accessible route by 203.3 shall be designed and constructed so that individuals with disabilities can approach, enter, and exit the areas but are not required to be constructed to permit maneuvering within the work area or to be constructed or equipped to be accessible.

203.3.2 Work Station - Approach, Enter, and Exit. In addition to the requirement of 203.3.1, work stations in employee work areas covered by 203.3.1 shall be designed and constructed so that individuals with disabilities can approach, enter, and exit, the stations but are not required to be constructed to permit maneuvering within the work station or be constructed or equipped to be accessible.

EXCEPTION: Where at least one of each type of work station, in the total area covered by all the employee work areas subject to 203.3.1, complies with the approach, enter and exit requirements of 203.3.2, additional work stations in such the employee work areas are not required to comply with 203.3.2.

Examples of Employee Work Station Type. An example of a type of employee work station is within a galley (work area) where there are stations for food preparation, cooking, serving (plating and finishing) and scullery. Another example is a bar with three mixing stations. The point of sale is one work station type and the mixing station is another work station type. At least one of each type of work station as described above shall comply with the approach, enter, and exit requirements of 203.3.2.

**203.4 **Not Used.

**203.5 Limited Access Spaces. **Spaces accessed only by vertical or horizontal trunks, ladders, catwalks, crawl spaces, through manholes, or very narrow passageways are not required to be accessible. Such spaces include, but are not limited to fuel and water tanks and voids.

**203.6 Equipment Spaces. **Spaces frequented only by service personnel for maintenance, repair, or occasional monitoring of equipment are not required to be accessible. Such spaces include, but are not limited to, elevator pits, elevator penthouses, mechanical, electrical, or communications equipment rooms, piping or equipment catwalks, water or sewage treatment pump rooms and stations, electric substations and transformer vaults.

**203.7 Machinery Spaces. **Machinery spaces are not required to be accessible. Spaces include, but are not limited to, engine rooms, fan rooms, pump rooms, electrical closets, and steering gear flats.

203.8 Other Spaces. Davit launched raft stations, rescue boat stations, anchor and anchor handling rooms, emergency squad lockers, boatswain’s storerooms, firefighting equipment spaces, battery rooms, paint and hazardous material lockers, line handling platforms, mooring spaces, mooring flats, mooring areas, and mooring decks are not required to be accessible.