In the maritime industry, any walking surface can pose a serious slip and fall risk, particularly on wet, rolling, and pitching vessels buffeted by waves and wind gusts. Perhaps, nowhere is this hazard more serious than on small workboats like tugs, fishing boats, diving boats, and response and rescue boats.
The most common technique for preventing slip and fall accidents in maritime applications is through the application of non-skid adhesive tape or reduced epoxy coatings embedded with aggregate. However, with continual exposure to the sea and sun, tapes can peel off. Coatings and aggregate can also abrade away quickly, leading to frequent reapplication to maintain safety standards.
Today, a new category of durable, high-tech, full epoxy coating is dramatically increasing traction and improving maritime safety in a wide range of slip and fall prone areas such as decks, docks, and gangways. This new type of coating is designed to last for years even in harsh marine environments, which reduces the need for maintenance and replacement. The coating type can be quickly and easily applied without a primer, minimizing cost and disruption.
Application Story: Improving Traction and Safety on Workboats
International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI) provide administrative and technical support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Registry.
Recently, IRI replaced a worn conventional non-skid application on an old aluminum Coast Guard Defender-class boat with a new type of lasting, high-tech, all epoxy coating that was showcased at the 2022 International WorkBoat Show. Aluminum workboats like the Defender-class boat are commonly used by a wide range of companies and agencies, such as the Coast Guard, fire departments, game wardens, and police and sheriff departments.
As a solution, IRI had the non-skid coating Form-A-Tread® SL (Self Leveling) applied to the workboat in the same areas and patterns as the previous non-skid material.
The all epoxy, safety coating:
* is a combination of a 100% solids epoxy binder and a specialized aggregate
* provides a very durable, slip-resistant surface on maritime walking surfaces
* can be applied to aluminum, steel, wood, and other porous and non-porous substrates
* is designed to last for years
* resists extreme weather, temperature, sea spray, sunlight, and chemicals
* is easy to mix and apply by hand
* can be easily applied over welds or other irregularities
* is typically ready for use in under 4 hours
As the maritime industry seeks to prevent slip and fall hazards as well as man overboard incidents across a range of vessel decks and walking surfaces, implementing durable, non-skid, all epoxy coatings with heavy-duty aggregate will effectively improve safety in the long-term without the need for frequent replacement.
For more information: call +1-610-994-2138; email info@rgfmaterials.com; visit https://form-a-tread.com.