Sanitation Health Measures Inspection Checklist

Public Health Protection

• Regular sanitation inspections prevent disease transmission, identify potential health hazards, ensure safe potable water, proper waste management, and food safety standards that protect crew, passengers, and port communities from waterborne and foodborne illnesses.

Regulatory Compliance

• Systematic inspection of water systems, sewage management, galley operations, and medical facilities ensures compliance with IHR 2005, MARPOL regulations, and flag state requirements, preventing Port State Control detentions and maintaining valid health certifications.

Operational Continuity

• Consistent sanitation management prevents health-related operational disruptions, avoids quarantine restrictions, maintains crew fitness for duty, and ensures vessels can operate in all ports without health-related delays or restrictions affecting schedules.

• Discharge - Untreated or unexchanged ballast water has been or is discharged into the port basin, the river or another protected area.
• Management - Ballast-water management plan (BWMP) not available.

• Management - Ballast-water treatment plants installed but no technical information available.
• Management - IMO ballast-water record book not available.
• Salinity test indicates that water has not been exchanged in the open sea.

• Treatment plant not approved by IMO.
• Ballast-water exchange and treatment - No ballast-water exchange in the open sea has been performed, no onboard treatment system is available or no onboard treatment is performed.

• Cleaning and maintenance - Construction materials and design do not facilitate cleaning, and/or construction design aids harbouring of vectors
• Construction, design and layout - Construction, design and layout predispose to probable failure of public health risk controls.
• Construction, design and layout - Ingress of contaminated materials, liquids, gases, foreign material or vectors found.

• Drainage - Drains connected to a drain that receives human sewage or medical waste.
• Drainage - Drains not independent of each other and of all other drainage systems
• Equipment for controlling environmental conditions - Absent, inadequate or ineffective equipment necessary for controlling environmental conditions according to type of cargo.

• Drainage - Drain lines do not discharge to open drain wells.
• Operational procedures - Absent or ineffective operational procedures for controlling public health risks according to the characteristics and forms of cargo on board.
• Ventilation - Service outlet of the cold-air or hot-air system (or both) serves more than one compartment.

• Diaper-changing facilities - An area specifically set aside for diaper changing not provided within the facility.
• Diaper-changing facilities - Diaper-changing area not adequately equipped.
• General design of child-care facility - Child-care facilities not appropriate in size and location
• General design of child-care facility - Child-care facilities not well lit and not well ventilated.
• General design of child-care facility - No separate toilets for staff and children, or toilets not appropriate in size for children; toilets dirty or do not flush properly.

• General design of child-care facility - Paper towels or hand-drying device, liquid soap, waste receptacle, toilet brush or toilet paper missing
• General design of child-care facility - Potable water and handwashing facilities not available and/or not appropriate for use by children.
• General design of child-care facility - Presence of disease vectors such as insects. Presence of other sources of contamination. Facilities not clean.
• General design of child-care facility - Surfaces not smooth and durable. Carpets, toys and furniture not cleanable.

• Training of staff - Basic cleaning plan not maintained or carrying out the cleaning plan not documented.
• Training of staff - Crew members designated for child care not trained in sanitary procedures or the symptoms and basic control of disease
• Training of staff - Written procedures for removal of waste not available.
• Training of staff - Written procedures not available for cleaning and disinfection of hands and materials in case of contact with blood, vomit or excrement.

• Construction - Construction design not favourable for cleaning.
• Equipments and facilities - Hand-washing station not within easy access.

• Equipments and facilities - Washing station and clotheschanging room for engine department personnel absent
• Management - Ducts extend from the weather deck directly to the engine room without protection from vectors.

• Management - Evidence of vectors found.
• Ventilation - Ventilation units are out of order.

• Equipment, utensils and materials - Lids and covers on waste containers absent or not kept closed.
• Cleaning and maintenance - Construction of, and materials used for, equipment and other galley features conducive to the build-up of food debris, grease and soil; galley fixtures not made of non-corroding metal or other durable material; or fixtures not close fitting
• Cleaning and maintenance - Evidence of accumulated soil and grease on previously cleaned food contact surfaces.

• Equipment, utensils and materials - Food contact surfaces, utensils and equipment not durable, corrosion resistant and non-absorbent.
• Equipment, utensils and materials - Hand-washing station in the galley absent or inadequately equipped.
• Equipment, utensils and materials - Inadequate waste containers (e.g. not rodent proof, watertight or non-absorbent; difficult to clean).
• Equipment, utensils and materials - Muiti-use sink used for food preparation without proper cleaning and disinfection.

• Food hygiene training - Food handlers do not demonstrate competencies concerning hygiene.
• Food hygiene training - Managers and supervisors of food processing demonstrate lack of necessary knowledge of food hygiene principles and practices.
• Food processing - Evidence of cross-contamination between cooked and raw food.
• Food processing - Food handlers or galley crew members have exposed cuts and wounds.

• Cleaning and maintenance - Evidence of disease vectors and/or reservoirs that harbour disease vectors.
• Cleaning and maintenance - Medical equipment and devices not in good operational and hygienic condition and not operated and maintained according to manufacturers? recommendations.
• Cleaning and maintenance - No evidence of procedures and policies on cleaning, sanitation, sharps disposal or waste management

• Construction - Medical facilities used for nonmedical purposes (e.g. living quarters or storage rooms).
• Equipment - Absence or inadequate sharps or biomedical collectors.
• Equipment - Paper towels or hand-drying device, liquid soap, waste receptacle, toilet brush or toilet paper missing.
• Equipment - Potable water and handwashing facilities not available

• Medical chest - Evidence of medicines that have passed expiry dates.
• Medical chest - Medicines not stored according to manufacturers? requirements (e.g. vaccines not stored in refrigerators).
• Medical chest - Medicines not stored in an organized manner.
• Medical chest - Size, type and storage of medical chest inadequate to diagnose, treat and control public health risks on board.

• Construction of washing machines and laundry - Construction materials and design make cleaning difficult.
• Construction of washing machines and laundry - Doors and windows not conducive for proper ventilation.
• Construction of washing machines and laundry - Improper installation of soil and waste drainage systems.

• Evidence of leaks, overflow or cross-connection in the drai- nage system
• Housekeeping cleaning and maintenance - Evidence of housekeeping crew members cleaning cabins of ill passengers or crew while not wearing PPE
• No integrated vector management plan.

• Overall vector management system - No rat-proof guard.
• Standing water - Evidence of depressions or culverts that can collect standing water.
• Standing water - Evidence of standing water in different areas of the ship?s open spaces (e.g. lifeboat covers, bilges, scuppers, awnings, gutters, air-treatment plants) that can hold insect larvae.

• Bunkering procedure - During bunkering, hoses are placed directly on the ground or through harbour water.
• Bunkering procedure - Filling hoses not made of suitable materials, not labelled, used for other purposes other than potable water filling, dirty, not capped, or in poor or unsanitary condition.
• Bunkering procedure - Filling line is dirty, is not installed adequately, has cross-connections to other non-potable water systems, is passing through any non-potable liquid or is not labelled.

• Documents - Medical log raises suspicion of possible waterborne diseases
• Documents - No water quality analysis report available, last analysis report shows contamination or not all required parameters have been analysed.
• General construction on board - Materials and pressurized components used not heat resistant.
• General construction on board - Materials used not suitable for use in potable water systems.

• Tanks - Sewage system components, soil-waste drains or solid-waste facilities are installed directly above potable water tanks or tank maintenance openings so that there is a risk of contamination by dirt or spillage
• Tanks - Tank capacity does not ensure an independent water supply of at least 2 days without bunkering or production of new water.
• Tanks - Tank location
• Tanks - Tanks do not have a maintenance opening for inspection.

• Cleaning and maintenance - Cleaning and maintenance programme absent or inadequate
• Cleaning and maintenance - Contamination by chemicals or other agents.
• Cleaning and maintenance - Dirty linens and cloths
• Cleaning and maintenance - Evidence of vectors or reservoirs found.

• Construction - Accommodation constructed of unsuitable material that creates conditions for potential infestation by vectors.
• Construction - Bathrooms or shower rooms not provided.
• Construction - Exhaust air vents from sanitary spaces physically connected to air supply systems, or the two systems are too close.
• Construction - No heating system.

• Construction - Screen mesh not sufficiently small gauge (i.e. max.1.6 mm)
• Construction - Sleeping rooms for crew or passengers constructed from inferior materials.
• Construction - Surfaces and fitures not properly sealed or diffiult to clean.
• Equipment - Hand-washing facilities absent or inadequate.

• Animal excrement - No drains of sufficient size installed and connected to a holding tank or a treatment system.
• Bilge - Sewage, rodent excrement, food particles, putrescible matter or toxic substances found in the bilge.
• Cargo holds - Cargo-hold drainage or refrigerated cargo spaces are directly connected to the sewage system

• Discharge hoses - Sewage discharge hoses not available; hoses not made of durable, impervious material with a smooth interior surface; or not labelled as sewage discharge hoses.
• Document review - ISPP certificate is more than 5 years old, does not exist, or is issued in neither English nor French.
• No operation and maintenance instruction manual available.

• Sewage from the galley or pantries - Drain pipes of ice machines, dishwashing machines or food refuse grinders directly connected to wastewater system, and not equipped with appropriate backflow prevention
• Sewage from the galley or pantries - No grease interceptors installed between galley wastewater system and sewage system; or grease interceptors are overflowing, dirty or otherwise insufficiently maintained

• Discharge - Garbage has been disposed of overboard in a special area, or any other evidence of prohibited waste deposit into water.
• Discharge - Master or crew not familiar with procedures for managing garbage on board.
• Garbage management plan - No garbage management plan available, or not all procedures for collecting, storing, processing and disposing of garbage are covered in the plan.

• Incinerator - Evidence of leakage of gases and/or particles from combustion chamber.
• Incinerator - Incinerator full of ash or slag.
• Incinerator - Incinerator has no prominent signage to warn against unauthorized opening of doors during operation and against overloading incinerator with garbage.
• Incinerator - Incinerator room is dirty or garbage is accumulating.

• Places of waste production - Grease separated from galley wastes not handled correctly.
• Places of waste production - Places for food waste include galley, pantry and restaurants.
• Places of waste production - Waste containers not tightly covered between operations
• Storage - Containers dirty or attracting disease vectors.

• Cleaning and maintenance - Evidence of standing water.
• Cleaning and maintenance - Soiled stores
• Construction - Openings or damage.
• Construction - Poorly designed construction for protection against weather and sea.

• Food sources - Supervisory food crew members cannot provide satisfactory details of sources and countries of origin to enable tracing if a poisoning occurs
• Hazardous material - Chemicals used for cleaning and maintenance of food areas stored in food area
• Storage - Disordered stores.

• Storage - Frozen foods in freezers found visibly spoiled or partially thawed when hand pressure applied
• Storage - Perishable foods found stored under inadequate temperature conditions for the type or class of food, for periods over 4 hours, without sufficient explanation or documentation (e.g. cooling without a cooling log).

• Design and construction - Materials or fittings support the growth of microorganisms or corrode easily
• Design and construction - Pipework not accessible for cleaning; balance tanks not accessible for cleaning and disinfection
• Emergency procedures - No faecal accident response procedure defined and/or responsible crew are unable to demonstrate knowledge of, and/ or competency in, emergency cleaning and disinfection procedures

• Operation, cleaning and maintenance - Microbiological value values out of acceptable range
• Operation, cleaning and maintenance - Pool surrounds, overflow channels, exposed pipework, filters and fittings visibly dirty or greasy.
• Operation, cleaning and maintenance - Responsible crew members unable to demonstrate knowledge of correct manual chemical dosing procedures.

• Operation, cleaning and maintenance - Responsible crew unable to demonstrate that good hygiene information is available to pool users
• Operation, cleaning and maintenance - Responsible employees are unable to demonstrate knowledge of and/or competency in the safe operating limits of the defined parameters
• Operation, cleaning and maintenance - Surfaces in sauna appear dirty and not well maintained.