§ 127.280 Construction and arrangement of quarters for crew members and accommodations for offshore workers.

(a) The following requirements apply to quarters for crew members on each vessel of 100 or more gross tons: (1) Quarters for crew members must be divided into staterooms none of which berths more than four members. (2) Each stateroom for use by crew members must— (i) Have clear headroom of at least 1.9 meters (6 feet, 3 inches); and (ii) Contain at least 2.8 square meters (30 square feet) of deck and at least 6 cubic meters (210 cubic feet) of space for each member accommodated. The presence in a stateroom of equipment for use by the occupants does not diminish the area or volume of the room. (3) There must be at least one toilet, one washbasin, and one shower or bathtub for every eight or fewer crew members who do not occupy a stateroom to which a private or a semiprivate facility is attached. (b) The following requirements apply to accommodations for offshore workers on each vessel of 100 or more gross tons: (1) Each offshore worker aboard must be provided with adequate fixed seating. The width of each seat should be at least 460 millimeters (18 inches). The spacing of fixed seating must be sufficient to allow ready escape in case of fire or other emergency. The following are minimal requirements: (i) Aisles 4.6 meters (15 feet) in length or less must not be less than 610 millimeters (24 inches) wide. (ii) Aisles more than 4.6 meters (15 feet) in length must not be less than 760 millimeters (30 inches) wide. (iii) Where the seating is in rows, the distance from seat front to seat front must not be less than 760 millimeters (30 inches). (2) If the intended operation of a vessel is to carry offshore workers aboard for more than 24 hours, quarters for them must be provided. Each stateroom for use by them must— (i) Berth no more than six workers; (ii) Have clear headroom of at least 1.9 meters (6 feet, 3 inches); and (iii) Contain at least 1.9 square meters (20 square feet) of deck and at least 4 cubic meters (140 cubic feet) of space for each worker accommodated. The presence in a stateroom of equipment for use by the occupants does not diminish the area or volume of the room. (3) Toilets and washbasins for use by offshore workers must meet the requirements of paragraph (a)(3) of this section. (c) Each crew member and offshore worker aboard a vessel of less than 100 gross tons must be provided with accommodations of adequate size and construction, and with equipment for his or her protection and convenience suitable to the size, facilities, and service of the vessel. (d) For each vessel of 100 or more gross tons, the bulkheads and decks separating accommodations for crew members and offshore workers from machinery spaces must be of “A” Class construction as defined by § 92.07-5 of this chapter. (e) After reviewing the arrangement drawings required by § 127.110 of this part, the cognizant OCMI will determine, and record on the vessel's Certificate of Inspection, the number of offshore workers that the vessel may carry.