In cooperation with industry partners, ABS supports a database of maritime accidents and close calls, as well as the associated causes. Analyses of these data are used, in part, to guide the research and development activities of the ABS Safety and Human Factors Department. With regard to occupational safety, a dominant theme in these data is the relationship of the design of structures for means of access to crew member injuries and deaths, with significant numbers of these occurring during the use of ladders, stairs, hatches, platforms, and other access aids. As a result, an ABS Guide has been prepared to evaluate the ergonomic design characteristics of access structures aboard ships and offshore facilities. Compliance with the requirements in the Guide can lead to the granting of up to four separate ABS ergonomic notations (ERGO notations).
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