THE RECREATIONAL BOAT MANUFACTURER FACTORY VISIT PROGRAM

This article describes the Factory Visit Program, which is the primary method for the U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety to ensure that recreational boat manufacturers are complying with the safety regulations. Since the early 1970s, the Coast Guard has conducted some form of factory visits. However, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century directed the Coast Guard to revise and strengthen its recreational boat compliance programs, and the Factory Visit Program was renewed as a pilot program in 2001 through a private contractor. Factory visits are completed by compliance associates, who have extensive experience and training in boat construction standards. The emphasis of the Factory Visit Program has been to provide education and guidance on building safer boats rather than compliance enforcement. There are two main types of factory visits: inspection visits, which occur when boat manufacturers have a vessel on the premises available for inspection; and education visits, in which the primary purpose is to review procedures and answer questions. The factory visit program has conducted more than 3,500 visits to recreational boat manufacturing plants since 2001. The program has helped increase the percentage of vessels that are assured to be compliant with federal safety regulations. As the program moves into its next phase, there will be a greater emphasis on assisting boat builders resolve more complex problems and helping them incorporate proven safety measures.

• Corporate Authors:

  United States Coast Guard

  National Maritime Center, 4200 Wilson Boulevard
  Arlington, VA  United States  22203-1804
• Authors:
  • Kanehl, R V
• Conference:
  • Proceedings of the Marine Safety Council
• Publication Date: 2003-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 58-61
• Serial:
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue Number: 3

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Boats; Compliance; Factories; Industrial plants; Inspection; Manufacturing; Marine safety; Pleasure craft; Safety education; Safety programs
• Identifier Terms: Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century; United States Coast Guard
• Uncontrolled Terms: Factory visits
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Marine Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00967960
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 10 2004 12:00AM