NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 67

specific quantitative criteria for entry
and hot work and integrated those
levels into standard safety designations.
Today, those designations are
recognized throughout the industry
and in the federal regulatory structure
overseen by the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) and the US Coast Guard.
Both agencies maintain safety regulations
that require a marine chemist
to certify that safe conditions exist
before work can be performed. These
kinds of relationships, paired with the
need for a standard that is adopted,
enforced, and maintained alongside
an evolving industry, ensure that the
maritime industry benefits from the
tenets of the NFPA Fire and Life Safety
Ecosystem™
.
THE RISE OF
MARINE CHEMISTS
In 1922, great foresight was required
to realize the nature of the hazards
encountered during ship construction
and repair, and to create a role for
a specialist who could carry out the
detailed actions essential to safeguarding
not only the workers but the vessels
and the shipyards. That first year, ABS
certified 25 marine chemists to direct
and apply the requirements of a new
standard of practice.
The original marine chemists,
by and large, worked as laboratory
chemists in petroleum refineries,
which meant they typically possessed
a thorough understanding of the
properties and characteristics of the
fuels and cargoes. ABS served as the
certifying body of the marine chemists
until 1963, when NFPA assumed
those duties. Under NFPA, more
rigor was applied to certification
program qualifications, including the
creation of a marine chemist qualification
board (MCQB) to oversee
the admission of applicants, evaluate
and recommend approval of those
satisfying the requirements for certification,
and manage recertification.
The qualifications were documented
in a set of rules for certification and
recertification, which the qualification
board directs today. The MCQB
consists of representatives from the
These kinds of
relationships, paired
with the need for a
standard that is adopted,
enforced, and maintained
alongside an evolving
industry, ensure that the
maritime industry
benefits from the tenets
of the NFPA Fire and
Life Safety Ecosystem™
.
and who is responsible for ensuring
that repair and construction of
marine vessels can be made in safety
whenever those repairs might result
in fire, explosion, or exposure to toxic
vapors or chemicals. Marine chemist
qualifications include a bachelor's
degree plus specific course work in
chemistry; maritime industry work
experience, such as a shipyard or as
a shipyard contractor, service as a
licensed merchant mariner, or Navy
or Coast Guard service; laboratory
work experience; completion of field
experience gained through work with
certificated marine chemists; and
completion of training modules. Once
admitted as a marine chemist trainee,
the MCQB monitors progress with
each of the steps until the trainee
applies to meet with the MCQB for
same stakeholder groups that first
approached NFPA a century ago, plus
representatives from the Coast Guard,
OSHA, and the Navy. The MCQB is
appointed by the NFPA Board of Directors,
which also approves the rules for
certification and recertification and
hears appeals on decisions rendered
by the MCQB. The marine chemist
and NFPA 306 are part of the vessel
repair practices observed by the Navy
and the Coast Guard, highlighting
the value of their participation in the
standards development process and
certification board.
Today, a marine chemist is a professional
who is trained in environmental
and occupational safety and health
the certification examination. Certification
requires marine chemists
to complete a medical examination,
attesting to, among other things, the
physical ability to enter and work in
confined spaces; written examination
on NFPA 306, OSHA, and Coast Guard
regulations, and practical elements
required of a marine chemist; and an
in-person interview with the MCQB.
Marine chemists must complete recertification
every five years, a process
that requires written examination and
review of their performance by the
MCQB.
Each year, NFPA certificated marine
chemists issue more than 30,000 certificates
documenting safe conditions
for entry and hot work involving all
types of vessels and myriad hazards.
A typical certificate might address
the safe conditions for an average of
10 spaces, which means that marine
chemists ensure the safety of over
300,000 specific work sites annually.
The scope of a marine chemist's work
can span a liquid-carrying barge,
a chemical tank ship, an offshore
drilling vessel or drill rig, a tow
boat, or a liquid natural gas carrier.
Changes in the industry continuously
prompt changes to NFPA 306, and the
standard provides a forum for any proposed
changes designed to preserve or
improve safety. Marine chemists occasionally
perform inspections and tests
for entry and work on aboveground
petroleum storage tanks, relying on
the same ability to recognize, evaluate,
and control similar hazards in
nonmarine environments. Their broad
qualifications make them an asset
whenever hazards associated with
confined spaces and hot work repairs
must be addressed on marine vessels
and in shipyards, marine terminals,
and waterfront facilities.
NFPA 306: NEXT STEPS
In my 40-plus years in and around the
maritime industry, I have observed
significant changes as industry segments
have expanded and contracted
due to a variety of factors. A recent
example is the growth of liquefied
natural gas (LNG) as both a cargo and
a fuel. NFPA 306 acknowledged the
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NFPA Journal - Winter 2021

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