46 CFR 140.510: Identifying and mitigating health and safety hazards

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section requires the owner or managing operator to implement procedures to identify and mitigate health and safety hazards. The list includes tools and equipment, confined space entry, and towing gear, and it is not limited to those items. As far as practicable, other safety controls must come before reliance on Personal Protective Equipment.

Applies toThe owner or managing operator of the vessel.

What it says

  1. The owner or managing operator must implement procedures to identify and mitigate health and safety hazards, and the listed hazards are not the only ones covered.

    46 CFR 140.510(a)“The owner or managing operator must implement procedures to identify and mitigate health and safety hazards, including but not limited to:”

  2. The hazards include tools and equipment on board, such as deck machinery, rigging, welding and cutting, hand tools, ladders, and abrasive wheel machinery.

    46 CFR 140.510(a)(1)“Tools and equipment, including deck machinery, rigging, welding and cutting, hand tools, ladders, and abrasive wheel machinery found on board the vessel;”

  3. The hazards include vessel embarkation and disembarkation, including pilot transfers.

    46 CFR 140.510(a)(10)“Vessel embarkation and disembarkation (including pilot transfers);”

  4. The hazards include towing gear, such as winches, capstans, wires, hawsers and other related equipment.

    46 CFR 140.510(a)(11)“Towing gear, including winches, capstans, wires, hawsers and other related equipment;”

  5. As far as practicable, the owner or managing operator must implement other types of safety control measures before relying on Personal Protective Equipment.

    46 CFR 140.510(b)“As far as practicable, the owner or managing operator must implement other types of safety control measures before relying on Personal Protective Equipment.”

  6. These other controls may include administrative, engineering, source modification, substitution, process change or controls, isolation, ventilation, or other controls.

    46 CFR 140.510(b)“These controls may include administrative, engineering, source modification, substitution, process change or controls, isolation, ventilation, or other controls.”

Common questions

Who must identify and mitigate health and safety hazards on a towing vessel?

The owner or managing operator must implement procedures to identify and mitigate health and safety hazards.

“The owner or managing operator must implement procedures to identify and mitigate health and safety hazards, including but not limited to:”

Is the hazard list in 46 CFR 140.510 complete?

No. The text says the hazards include but are not limited to the listed items.

“The owner or managing operator must implement procedures to identify and mitigate health and safety hazards, including but not limited to:”

Can I rely on PPE alone to control hazards?

As far as practicable, the owner or managing operator must implement other types of safety control measures before relying on Personal Protective Equipment.

“As far as practicable, the owner or managing operator must implement other types of safety control measures before relying on Personal Protective Equipment.”

What other controls can be used before PPE?

These controls may include administrative, engineering, source modification, substitution, process change or controls, isolation, ventilation, or other controls.

“These controls may include administrative, engineering, source modification, substitution, process change or controls, isolation, ventilation, or other controls.”

The text of 46 CFR 140.510

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Identification and mitigation of health and safety hazards

(a) The owner or managing operator must implement procedures to identify and mitigate health and safety hazards, including but not limited to:

(1) Tools and equipment, including deck machinery, rigging, welding and cutting, hand tools, ladders, and abrasive wheel machinery found on board the vessel;

(2) Slips, trips, and falls;

(3) Working aloft;

(4) Hazardous materials;

(5) Confined space entry;

(6) Blood-borne pathogens and other biological hazards;

(7) Electrical;

(8) Noise;

(9) Falls overboard;

(10) Vessel embarkation and disembarkation (including pilot transfers);

(11) Towing gear, including winches, capstans, wires, hawsers and other related equipment;

(12) Personal hygiene;

(13) Sanitation and safe food handling; and

(14) Potable water supply.

(b) As far as practicable, the owner or managing operator must implement other types of safety control measures before relying on Personal Protective Equipment. These controls may include administrative, engineering, source modification, substitution, process change or controls, isolation, ventilation, or other controls.

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.