177. Inspection by master of provisions, water and accommodation at sea. -
The master of an Indian ship which is at sea shall, at least once in every ten days, cause an inspection to be made of the provisions and water provided for the use of the seamen and apprentices and the crew accommodation, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the same are being maintained in accordance with the requirements of this Act, and the person making the inspection shall enter a statement of the result of the inspection in a book specially kept for the purpose.[177-A. Power to make rules to prevent accidents, etc.-(1)The Central Government may, having regard to the provisions of the Convention concerning the Prevention of Occupational Accidents to Seafarers adopted by the General Conference of the International Labour Organisation on the 30th day of October, 1970, make rules so as to ensure safe working conditions for Indian ships and for preventing accidents and different rules may be made for different classes of ships and for ships of the same class in different circumstances.(2)In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing powers, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:-(a)the manner in which any equipment or gear may be maintained, inspected or tested and conditions as to such maintenance, inspection and testing;(b)the manner in which the use of any material or process shall be regulated for the manufacture of any such equipment or gear;(c)the provision of safe means of access to such equipment or gear for the use of seamen and provision protective clothing for seamen where necessary;(d)restriction on the hours of employment of seamen in any specified operation or under any specified circumstances; and(e)the manner and form in which and the persons to whom any accident occurring on board a ship shall be reported.]Special provisions for the protection of seamen in respect of litigation
