Your obligations and WHS
Construction barges are classified as domestic commercial vessels (DCVs) and must meet the requirements of other regulators, as well as the National Law administered by AMSA.
These may include the requirements of local waterways management authorities, environment protection agencies, and state and territory Work Health and Safety (WHS) regulators.
Under WHS legislation construction barges are defined as workplaces and must also meet specific WHS requirements with regards to risk assessments to operate safely. More information about the regulatory framework that applies to DCVs relevant to WHS safety laws is on our website.
Local waterways
Generally local waterways management authorities will apply requirements relating to ‘rules of the road’ including the collision regulations. They may apply certain restrictions to ensure safe navigation, particularly in heavily congested areas and/or those with hazards to navigation.
Environment protection
You need to be aware of all your obligations and consider them when completing or reviewing your risk assessment.
Incident reporting
If your construction barge is involved in a marine incident, it must be reported. Reportable marine incidents include, amongst others, structural failure of a vessel, person overboard, collisions, capsize, flooding, loss of stability, fires and injuries.
Incident reports assist AMSA to respond quickly and efficiently to an incident when it occurs. Importantly these reports also assist us to understand issues for industry and develop strategies to improve safety.
If you are involved in an incident you may need to report it to more than one regulator. More information on incident reporting is on our website.