1983 No. 644
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Docks, Shipbuilding Etc. (Metrication) Regulations 1983
Made 26th April 1983
Laid before Parliament 10th May 1983
Coming into Operation 1st June 1983

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 49, and 82(3)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (“the 1974 Act”) and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf and for the purpose of giving effect without modifications to proposals submitted to him by the Health and Safety Commission under section 11(2)(d) of the 1974 Act after the carrying out by the said Commission of consultations in accordance with section 50(3) of that Act, hereby makes the following Regulations:—
section 49 was amended by the Employment Protection Act 1975 (c.71), section 116 and Schedule 15, paragraph 15.

1 Citation and commencement
1 These Regulations may be cited as The Docks, Shipbuilding etc. (Metrication) Regulations 1983 and shall come into operation on the 1st June 1983.
2 In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, “the principal instruments” means the Regulations and Orders amended by these Regulations, that is to say:—
The Docks Regulations 1925;
The Docks Regulations 1934;
The Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing Regulations 1960;
The Shipbuilding (Lifting Appliances etc. Forms) Order 1961;
The Docks Certificates (No. 2) Order 1964.
, amended by S.I. 1964/530.

2 Amendments to the principal instruments to substitute metric measurements for imperial measurements
The provisions of the principal instruments specified in the Schedule to these Regulations in Column 1 shall be amended by substituting for the measurements or expressions set out opposite thereto in column 3 the measurements or expressions set out in the corresponding entry in column 4.

3 Application to existing premises and plant
Where any premises or plant, in existence or under construction immediately before the coming into operation of these Regulations complied with the requirements of the principal Regulations as then in force, then those premises or that plant shall be deemed to comply with the requirements of the principal Regulations as amended by these Regulations.
Signed by order of the Secretary of State.
John Selwyn Gummer Joint Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department of Employment 26th April 1983

THE SCHEDULE AMENDMENTS TO PROVISIONS
Regulation 2
1	2	3	4
Provision to be amended	Subject-matter of measurement or expression	Present measurement or expression	Measurement or expression to be substituted
The Docks Regulations 1925 Regulation 19(b)(i)	Chains etc. to be annealed	half inch	13 millimetres
The Docks Regulations 1934 Definitions	Length of lock	ninety feet	27.5 metres
	Distance from edge of canal	fifteen feet	5.0 metres
	Depth of water	five feet	1.5 metres
Regulation 1	Height of fencing	two feet six inches	760 millimetres
	Distance from side of entrance	five yards	5.0 metres
Regulation 9	Width of ladder or gangway	twenty-two inches	560 millimetres
	Height of fencing	two feet nine inches	840 millimetres
Regulation 11(1)	Depth of hold	five feet	1.5 metres
Regulation 11(2)(b)	Depth of foothold including any space behind the ladder	4 ½ inches	115 millimetres
	Width of foothold	10 inches	250 millimetres
Regulation 11(2)(c)	Depth of foothold including any space behind the cleats or cups	4 ½ inches	115 millimetres
	Width of foothold	10 inches	250 millimetres
Regulation 11(2)(d)	Depth of foothold including any space behind the ladder	4½ inches	115 millimetres
	Width of foothold	10 inches	250 millimetres
Regulation 17	Width of working space around hatch	two feet	600 millimetres
Regulation 19(b)(i)	Chains etc. to be annealed	half inch	13 millimetres
Regulation 28(c)	Height of ladder	thirty feet	10 metres
Regulation 35(b)	Width of space along edge of wharf	three feet	920 millimetres
Regulation 37(a)	Depth of hold	five feet	1.5 metres
	Height of coamings	two feet six inches	760 millimetres
	Height of fencing	three feet	920 millimetres
Regulation 40	Distance from deck	two feet	600 millimetres
Schedule
Paragraph (a)	Safe working load	up to 20 tons	up to 20 tonnes
	Safe working load	20–50 tons	20–50 tonnes
	Proof load	5 tons in excess	5 tonnes in excess
	Safe working load	over 50 tons	over 50 tonnes
Paragraph (b)	Safe working load	up to 20 tons	up to 20 tonnes
	Safe working load	20–50 tons	20–50 tonnes
	Proof load	5 tons in excess	5 tonnes in excess
	Safe working load	over 50 tons	over 50 tonnes
Paragraph (c)	Safe working load	up to and including 20 tons	up to and including 20 tonnes
	Safe working load	over 20 tons up to and including 40 tons	over 20 tonnes up to and including 40 tonnes
	Proof load	20 tons in excess	20 tonnes in excess
Safe working load	over 40 tons	over 40 tonnes
The Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing Regulations 1960
Regulation 2(2)(a)	Length of ship	one hundred feet	30 metres
	Depth of ship	nine feet six inches	2.9 metres
Regulation 2(2)(b)	Length of ship	one hundred feet	30 metres
	Depth of ship	nine feet six inches	2.9 metres
Regulation 2(2)(c)	Length of ship	one hundred feet	30 metres
	Depth of ship	nine feet six inches	2.9 metres
Regulation 3(2)	Flash point of oil	two hundred and seventy degrees Fahrenheit	132 degrees Celsius
Regulation 7(b)	Height of hand-rails	two feet nine inches	840 millimetres
	Height of toe-board above floor	six inches	150 millimetres
Regulation 8(1)	Height of fencing	two feet nine inches	840 millimetres
Regulation 9(1)(a)	Width of ladder or gangway	twenty-two inches	560 millimetres
	Height of fencing	two feet nine inches	840 millimetres
Regulation 10(2)(a)	Position of top step of ladder	twelve inches	300 millimetres
Regulation 13(3)	Width of footway	seventeen inches	430 millimetres
Regulation 14(1)(d)	Position of top of ladder	two feet six inches	760 millimetres
Regulation 17(2)	Extension of planks forming stages	eighteen inches	460 millimetres
Regulation 24(heading)	Height of stages	six feet six inches	2 metres
Regulation 24(1)	Height of stages	six feet six inches	2 metres
Regulation 24(2)(c)	Width of stages	seventeen inches	430 millimetres
Regulation 24(3)(a)	Height of guard rail	three feet	920 millimetres
Regulation 24(7)	Width of stages	twenty five inches	640 millimetres
Regulation 25(1)	Height of fencing	three feet	920 millimetres
	Height of fencing	two feet six inches	760 millimetres
Regulation 26(1)	Height of coaming	two feet six inches	760 millimetres
	Height of fencing	three feet	920 millimetres
Regulation 36(3)	Size of chains etc.	half inch	13 millimetres
Regulation 47	Weight of load	20 tons	20 tonnes
Regulation 55(1)	Distance from source of heat	fifteen feet	5 metres
Regulation 59(1)(b)(i)	Flash point of oil	seventy-three degrees Fahrenheit	23 degrees Celsius
Regulation 60(2)	Flash point of oil	seventy-three degrees Fahrenheit	23 degrees Celsius
Regulation 66(1)	Flash point of oil	one hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit	66 degrees Celsius
Regulation 69(5)	Flash point of paraffin	one hundred degrees Fahrenheit	38 degrees Celsius
Regulation 80(1)	Height of stages	six feet six inches	2 metres
Second Schedule
Paragraph (a)	Safe working load	under 20 tons	under 20 tonnes
	Safe working load	20–50 tons	20–50 tonnes
	Proof load	5 tons in excess	5 tonnes in excess
	Safe working load	over 50 tons	over 50 tonnes
Paragraph (b)	Safe working load	under 20 tons	under 20 tonnes
	Safe working load	20–50 tons	20–50 tonnes
	Proof load	5 tons in excess	5 tonnes in excess
	Safe working load	over 50 tons	over 50 tonnes
Paragraph (c)	Safe working load	under 50 tons	under 50 tonnes
	Safe working load	50–100 tons	50–100 tonnes
	Proof load	plus 50 tons	plus 50 tonnes
	Safe working load	over 100 tons	over 100 tonnes
	Safe working load	up to and including 20 tons	up to and including 20 tonnes
	Safe working load	over 20 tons up to and including 40 tons	over 20 tonnes up to and including 40 tonnes
	Proof load	20 tons in excess	20 tonnes in excess
	Safe working load	over 40 tons	over 40 tonnes
The Shipbuilding (Lifting Appliances etc. Forms) Order 1961 Schedule, Part III Paragraph (2)(a)	Size of rope	inches	millimetres
Paragraph (3)	Tensile strength of wire	tons* per square inch	Newtons per square millimetre
Paragraph (4)(c)	Safe working load	Safe working load*	Safe working load
Footnote	Definition of ton	1 ton=2,240 lbs	none
The Docks Certificates (No. 2) Order 1964
Schedule
Paragraph (1) Column (g)	Proof load applied	tons	tonnes
Column (h)	Safe working load	tons	tonnes

EXPLANATORY NOTE
These Regulations amend the following instruments:—
The Docks Regulations 1925;
The Docks Regulations 1934;
The Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing Regulations 1960;
The Shipbuilding (Lifting Appliances etc. Forms) Order 1961; and
The Docks Certificates (No. 2) Order 1964,
by substituting amounts or quantities expressed in metric units for amounts or quantities not so expressed. The substituted amounts preserve the effect of the original provisions except to the extent necessary to obtain amounts expressed in convenient and suitable terms.
Regulation 3 provides that the amendments do not relate to premises or plant in existence or under construction immediately before the coming into operation of these Regulations if those premises or that plant complied with the then existing requirements.