46 CFR 144.800: Handrails and bulwarks on crew decks

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section covers rails and similar protection on decks. Rails or equivalent protection must be installed near the periphery of all decks accessible to crew. Hand grabs may replace deck rails where space limitations make rails impractical.

What it says

  1. Rails or equivalent protection must be installed near the periphery of all decks accessible to crew.

    46 CFR 144.800(a)“Rails or equivalent protection must be installed near the periphery of all decks accessible to crew.”

  2. Equivalent protection may include lifelines, wire rope, chains, and bulwarks that provide strength and support equivalent to fixed rails.

    46 CFR 144.800(a)“Equivalent protection may include lifelines, wire rope, chains, and bulwarks that provide strength and support equivalent to fixed rails.”

  3. Hand grabs may be substituted for deck rails in areas where space limitations make deck rails impractical, such as at narrow catwalks in way of deckhouse sides.

    46 CFR 144.800(b)“In areas where space limitations make deck rails impractical, such as at narrow catwalks in way of deckhouse sides, hand grabs may be substituted.”

Common questions

Where must rails be installed on a towing vessel?

Rails or equivalent protection must be installed near the periphery of all decks accessible to crew.

“Rails or equivalent protection must be installed near the periphery of all decks accessible to crew.”

What counts as equivalent protection to deck rails?

Equivalent protection may include lifelines, wire rope, chains, and bulwarks. They must provide strength and support equivalent to fixed rails.

“Equivalent protection may include lifelines, wire rope, chains, and bulwarks that provide strength and support equivalent to fixed rails.”

When can hand grabs be used instead of deck rails?

Hand grabs may be substituted where space limitations make deck rails impractical, such as at narrow catwalks in way of deckhouse sides.

“In areas where space limitations make deck rails impractical, such as at narrow catwalks in way of deckhouse sides, hand grabs may be substituted.”

The text of 46 CFR 144.800

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

Handrails and bulwarks

(a) Rails or equivalent protection must be installed near the periphery of all decks accessible to crew. Equivalent protection may include lifelines, wire rope, chains, and bulwarks that provide strength and support equivalent to fixed rails.

(b) In areas where space limitations make deck rails impractical, such as at narrow catwalks in way of deckhouse sides, hand grabs may be substituted.

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.