Research Completed on Access at Vessel Doors with Coamings June 23, 2005

Results are in on a study the Board sponsored on providing access at doors on various types of passenger vessels. Conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, this project explored ways to provide access at vessels doors with coamings or sills, which are used to prevent water infiltration. The results provide information on solutions to this issue which will supplement the Board’s work in developing new guidelines for passenger vessels. The study results provide data that can be useful to vessel designers, operators, and inspectors in improving disability access without compromising the vessel safety provisions of the coamings at weathertight doors.

In Phase I of the project, researchers examined governing safety regulations and developed several case studies examining the design and regulatory review of weathertight doors on certain types of smaller sized classes of vessels. In Phase II, researchers explored technical guidance and design solutions for weathertight doors that meet both U.S. Coast Guard regulations and the Board’s accessibility guidelines. A report covering each project phase is available:

• ADA Access to Passenger Vessels: Finding Safety Equivalence Solutions for Weathertight Doors with Coamings: Background and History (Phase I)     PDF version
  
• ADA Access to Passenger Vessels: Finding Safety Equivalence Solutions for Weathertight Doors with Coamings: A Risk Management Approach to Reconfiguration Design Solutions (Phase II)     PDF version