§ 1915.509 Definitions applicable to this subpart.

Alarm —a signal or message from a person or device that indicates that there is a fire, medical emergency, or other situation that requires emergency response or evacuation. At some shipyards, this may be called an “incident” or a “call for service.”

Alarm system —a system that warns employees at the worksite of danger.

Body harness —a system of straps that may be secured about the employee in a manner that will distribute the fall arrest forces over at least the thighs, shoulders, chest, and pelvis, with means for attaching it to other components of a personal fall arrest system.

Class II standpipe system —a 11⁄2 inch (3.8 cm) hose system which provides a means for the control or extinguishment of incipient stage fires.

Contract employer —an employer, such as a painter, joiner, carpenter, or scaffolding sub-contractor, who performs work under contract to the host employer or to another employer under contract to the host employer at the host employer's worksite. This excludes employers who provide incidental services that do not influence shipyard employment (such as mail delivery or office supply services).

Dangerous atmosphere —an atmosphere that may expose employees to the risk of death, incapacitation, injury, acute illness, or impairment of ability to self-rescue (i.e., escape unaided from a confined or enclosed space).

Designated area —an area established for hot work after an inspection that is free of fire hazards.

Drop Test —a method utilizing gauges to ensure the integrity of an oxygen fuel gas burning system. The method requires that the burning torch is installed to one end of the oxygen and fuel gas lines and then the gauges are attached to the other end of the hoses. The manifold or cylinder supply valve is opened and the system is pressurized. The manifold or cylinder supply valve is then closed and the gauges are watched for at least sixty (60) seconds. Any drop in pressure indicates a leak.

Emergency operations —activities performed by fire response organizations that are related to: rescue, fire suppression, emergency medical care, and special operations or activities that include responding to the scene of an incident and all activities performed at that scene.

Fire hazard —a condition or material that may start or contribute to the spread of fire.

Fire protection —methods of providing fire prevention, response, detection, control, extinguishment, and engineering.

Fire response —the activity taken by the employer at the time of an emergency incident involving a fire at the worksite, including fire suppression activities carried out by internal or external resources or a combination of both, or total or partial employee evacuation of the area exposed to the fire.

Fire response employee —a shipyard employee who carries out the duties and responsibilities of shipyard firefighting in accordance with the fire safety plan.

Fire response organization —an organized group knowledgeable, trained, and skilled in shipyard firefighting operations that responds to shipyard fire emergencies, including: fire brigades, shipyard fire departments, private or contractual fire departments, and municipal fire departments.

Fire suppression —the activities involved in controlling and extinguishing fires.

Fire watch —the activity of observing and responding to the fire hazards associated with hot work in shipyard employment and the employees designated to do so.

Fixed extinguishing system —a permanently installed fire protection system that either extinguishes or controls fire occurring in the space it protects.

Flammable liquid —any liquid having a flashpoint below 100 °F (37.8 °C), except any mixture having components with flashpoints of 100 °F (37.8 °C) or higher, the total of which make up 99 percent or more of the total volume of the mixture.

Hazardous substance —a substance likely to cause injury by reason of being explosive, flammable, poisonous, corrosive, oxidizing, an irritant, or otherwise harmful.

Hose systems —fire protection systems consisting of a water supply, approved fire hose, and a means to control the flow of water at the output end of the hose.

Host employer —an employer who is in charge of coordinating work or who hires other employers to perform work at a multi-employer workplace.

Incident management system —a system that defines the roles and responsibilities to be assumed by personnel and the operating procedures to be used in the management and direction of emergency operations; the system is also referred to as an “incident command system” (ICS).

Incipient stage fire —a fire, in the initial or beginning stage, which can be controlled or extinguished by portable fire extinguishers, Class II standpipe or small hose systems without the need for protective clothing or breathing apparatus.

Inerting —the displacement of the atmosphere in a permit space by noncombustible gas (such as nitrogen) to such an extent that the resulting atmosphere is noncombustible. This procedure produces an IDLH oxygen-deficient atmosphere.

Interior structural firefighting operations —the physical activity of fire response, rescue, or both involving a fire beyond the incipient stage inside of buildings, enclosed structures, vessels, and vessel sections.

Multi-employer workplace —a workplace where there is a host employer and at least one contract employer.

Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) —a device that sounds a loud signal if the wearer becomes immobilized or is motionless for 30 seconds or more.

Physical isolation —the elimination of a fire hazard by removing the hazard from the work area (at least 35 feet for combustibles), by covering or shielding the hazard with a fire-resistant material, or physically preventing the hazard from entering the work area.

Physically isolated —positive isolation of the supply from the distribution piping of a fixed extinguishing system. Examples of ways to physically isolate include: removing a spool piece and installing a blank flange; providing a double block and bleed valve system; or completely disconnecting valves and piping from all cylinders or other pressure vessels containing extinguishing agents.

Protected space —any space into which a fixed extinguishing system can discharge.

Proximity firefighting —specialized fire-fighting operations that require specialized thermal protection and may include the activities of rescue, fire suppression, and property conservation at incidents involving fires producing very high levels of conductive, convective, and radiant heat such as aircraft fires, bulk flammable gas fires, and bulk flammable liquid fires. Proximity firefighting operations usually are exterior operations but may be combined with structural firefighting operations. Proximity firefighting is not entry firefighting.

Qualified instructor —a person with specific knowledge, training, and experience in fire response or fire watch activities to cover the material found in § 1915.508(b) or (c).

Rescue —locating endangered persons at an emergency incident, removing those persons from danger, treating the injured, and transporting the injured to an appropriate health care facility.

Shipyard firefighting —the activity of rescue, fire suppression, and property conservation involving buildings, enclosed structures, vehicles, vessels, aircraft, or similar properties involved in a fire or emergency situation.

Small hose system —a system of hoses ranging in diameter from 5⁄8″ (1.6 cm) up to 11⁄2″ (3.8 cm) which is for the use of employees and which provides a means for the control and extinguishment of incipient stage fires.

Standpipe —a fixed fire protection system consisting of piping and hose connections used to supply water to approved hose lines or sprinkler systems. The hose may or may not be connected to the system.