Keep thermal comfort and personal noise exposure as separate decisions.
A crew complaint can use one word such as uncomfortable, tiring or harsh even when several mechanisms are present. A hot cabin may reflect air temperature, radiant load, low air movement, humidity, clothing, activity or uneven distribution. A noisy shift may be dominated by one short maintenance task, repeated machinery-room access or a long moderate exposure. The shared context is useful, but it does not make the quantities interchangeable.
| Decision | Primary evidence | Supporting context | Do not substitute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why does a cabin or work area feel thermally uncomfortable? | Defined thermal-environment measurements, occupant inputs, spatial mapping and an agreed evaluation method. | HVAC state, occupancy, weather, door condition, heat loads and complaint timing. | A thermostat display, single air-temperature spot reading or ventilation reading alone. |
| What noise exposure did a representative role accumulate? | Personal measurement or another justified ISO 9612 strategy, with task and duration records. | Watch pattern, location, machinery state, unusual events, breaks and instrument checks. | A room noise map or one loud-event reading alone. |
| What should be repaired or controlled? | Corroborating source, path, airflow, radiant, task or equipment evidence tied to the dominant contribution. | Controlled comparisons and a matched retest plan. | A compliance result without causal evidence. |
| Will a report be accepted? | The actual flag, class, contract, owner or workplace basis and reviewer requirements. | Named edition, scope, witness route, deviations and traceability. | A general standard title or supplier claim. |
Review the canonical ship thermal-comfort survey and personal noise-exposure monitoring service before fixing the scope. Use the supporting ship IAQ and thermal-comfort guide and onboard noise and personal-dosimetry guide when the project needs method-selection detail.
Write the decision, recipient and controlling document before attendance.
Start the record with vessel identity, project stage, requested decision, affected people or spaces, report recipient and required date. State whether the work supports complaint investigation, commissioning, sea trial, in-service review, owner acceptance, class or flag review, occupational risk assessment, corrective-work verification or a combination. Each purpose can require different conditions and evidence.
| Field | Thermal-comfort track | Personal-noise track | Owner / evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decision and recipient | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Spaces / people / roles | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Document, edition, clause or contract | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Required vessel state | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Witness or review route | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| Known exclusions and constraints | ___ | ___ | ___ |
A standard can describe a method without being the contractual acceptance basis. Confirm applicability, current edition, amendments, vessel type, flag implementation, class rules or notation, owner specification and any occupational regime with the responsible reviewer. IACS does not approve service suppliers, and a field report does not create blanket class or flag approval.
Select a representative population instead of convenient measurement points.
For thermal work, list affected cabins, control rooms, offices, workshops, galleys or other occupied spaces; normal occupancy; time of complaint; clothing and activity assumptions; local draft or radiant complaints; and points needed to represent the occupied zone. Record why each point and height supports the decision.
For noise exposure, describe jobs and tasks before selecting people. Group workers only when duties, routes, equipment, watch pattern and duration create reasonably similar exposure. Separate or expand the strategy when maintenance, mooring, cargo work, drills, port operations, weather or overtime changes the pattern.
| ID | Space / role / task | Normal pattern and duration | Complaint or exposure driver | Why representative | Planned repeat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENV-___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ENV-___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ENV-___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
Record who approved the plan and what remained unavailable. Convenience sampling can be useful for screening, but it must not be presented as representative compliance evidence unless the selected method and project basis support that conclusion.
Use a blank thermal environment instrument register.
Thermal comfort may require air temperature, radiant conditions, air speed and humidity together with activity and clothing inputs. The exact sensor class, response, range, accuracy, point geometry, averaging period and calculation depend on the selected method. Do not derive PMV, PPD or a local-discomfort conclusion from an incomplete measurement set without disclosing the assumption and its effect.
| Channel / instrument | Quantity and unit | Identity / range | Calibration or verification | Location / height | Interval / response |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TH-___ | Air temperature / ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| TH-___ | Mean radiant temperature or recorded surrogate / ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| TH-___ | Air speed / ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| TH-___ | Relative humidity / ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| INPUT-___ | Activity / clothing / occupancy | Observed / agreed | Source ___ | Person / zone ___ | Time ___ |
Photograph or sketch sensor locations where permitted. Note nearby diffusers, windows, hot surfaces, sunlight, partitions, bunks, desks and equipment. A reading close to a supply jet or warm bulkhead can be valid for a local complaint yet unsuitable as the only representation of the occupied space.
Use a blank personal noise exposure strategy register.
ISO 9612:2025 describes full-day, task-based and job-based approaches. The selection follows exposure variability and the decision. Record the strategy, representative groups, number and duration of measurements, personal meter setup, microphone position, field checks, time basis, weighting and calculation assumptions. Settings from different workplace regimes are not interchangeable merely because each instrument displays a dose percentage.
| Field | Required record | Source / approval | Deviation or limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy and rationale | Full-day / task / job / other justified basis | ___ | ___ |
| Exposure group and wearer | Role, watch, tasks and expected variability | ___ | ___ |
| Instrument setup | Meter, microphone, weighting, threshold, exchange rate, criterion and integration settings as applicable | ___ | ___ |
| Field checks | Before / after values, drift rule and action | ___ | ___ |
| Time basis | Start, stop, valid duration, breaks, excluded periods and normalisation | ___ | ___ |
| Uncertainty plan | Method, inputs and decision use | ___ | ___ |
ISO 9612:2025 does not determine exposure at the ear when hearing protectors are worn. Protector selection, fit, training and programme effectiveness need separate evidence. The personal result also does not identify the dominant source without the time history, task log and focused diagnostic measurements.
Record the vessel state once, then reference it from both tracks.
Thermal and noise records can be compared only when the operating context is explicit. Capture propulsion RPM, power or pitch where relevant; generator lineup and load; major pumps, fans, compressors and cargo equipment; HVAC mode, setpoints, dampers and filter condition; doors and windows; occupancy; outdoor temperature, humidity, wind and solar exposure; draught, speed, heading, sea state and water depth where relevant; and abnormal work or alarms.
| Run / time | Propulsion and machinery | HVAC / doors / occupancy | Weather / voyage state | Thermal records | Noise wearer / task records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RUN-___ / ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | TH-___ | NX-___ |
| RUN-___ / ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | TH-___ | NX-___ |
| RUN-___ / ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | TH-___ | NX-___ |
Berth, anchorage, commissioning, harbour trial, sea trial and normal in-service attendance can each answer useful questions, but one state may not reproduce another. State whether the required condition was achieved and whether the result is suitable for screening, diagnosis, acceptance or matched verification.
Use one shared operating-condition and event log.
Synchronise clocks before recording. Log each wearer transition, task, break, door change, HVAC adjustment, machinery start or stop, alarm, public-address message, maintenance impact, unusual conversation, sunlight change and sensor disturbance. Mark the corresponding thermal channel, personal-meter file and run identifier. This makes high exposure or discomfort intervals reviewable rather than anonymous peaks.
| Time | Person / space | Task or event | Machinery / HVAC change | Thermal file | Noise file | Retain, exclude or qualify |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| __:__ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| __:__ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| __:__ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
Do not silently remove inconvenient periods. Record the reason, author and effect of every exclusion. Preserve original files and an audit trail from raw data to reported tables, normalised exposure values and thermal indices.
Reject or qualify weak evidence before interpreting it.
- Confirm the planned people, spaces, tasks, durations and vessel conditions were achieved.
- Check instrument identity, time synchronisation, calibration status, field checks, battery, memory, overload, dropout and sensor disturbance.
- Review whether thermal sensors reached an appropriate response and whether points represent the occupied zone or a specific local complaint.
- Review personal-noise time histories against the task log and identify wearer interference, clothing contact, wind, radio, speech or abnormal events.
- State missing inputs, assumptions, environmental drift, sampling limits and uncertainty beside the affected conclusion.
- Separate measured fact, method-based evaluation, diagnostic inference and untested alternative.
| Record | Required condition | Observed condition | Effect on decision | Accept / repeat / qualify | Reviewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TH / NX / RUN-___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| TH / NX / RUN-___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
Make each result traceable to its method and decision.
- Identify vessel, purpose, report recipient, governing basis, people, spaces, tasks, operating states and exclusions.
- List instruments, settings, calibration or verification evidence, point or microphone position, sampling duration and raw-file identifiers.
- State thermal inputs, calculations and local-discomfort checks separately from personal-noise strategy, exposure calculation and uncertainty.
- Show the task and event timeline used to interpret peaks, normalise incomplete periods or identify influential contributions.
- Place the criterion and document edition beside each evaluation; do not merge limits from different regimes.
- Distinguish result, compliance statement, causal hypothesis, control recommendation and required matched retest.
- State deviations, unavailable evidence, uncertainty and the conclusion they limit.
- Obtain the required technical review and publication permission before external use of project evidence.
A report can support an owner, manager, yard, occupational specialist, class society or flag administration, but the recipient controls its acceptance process. No supplier approval, authorisation, guaranteed attendance or guaranteed acceptance is implied.
Prepare real proof without inventing a vessel or result.
Before a control or repair, freeze the people or representative group, space points, sensor positions, instrument setup, task route, duration, machinery and HVAC state, weather context and calculation outputs required for a matched comparison. After the action, record every unavoidable difference. A percentage improvement is meaningful only when the two records are sufficiently equivalent and the calculation is shown.
Trigger and decision
What complaint, exposure question or acceptance need initiated the work, and who required the answer?
Controlled baseline
Which spaces, people, tasks, operating states, instruments and validity checks formed the baseline?
Finding boundary
What did the thermal or noise evidence support, and which mechanisms or exposure periods remained untested?
Approved action
What HVAC, shielding, enclosure, isolation, maintenance, task, route, scheduling or programme change was authorised?
Matched verification
Which conditions and records were repeated, what differed, and how was each track evaluated?
Publication permission
Who approved disclosure, which identifiers were removed, and which text, images and values may be published?
This is an empty evidence structure, not a completed customer case. Do not add a vessel, owner, yard, class society, flag, exposure, comfort score, defect, pass statement, numerical improvement, testimonial or business outcome without contemporaneous records and written publication permission.
Confirm the edition and project basis before use.
- ISO 7730:2025 covers analytical evaluation of general and local thermal comfort in moderate environments using PMV, PPD and local-discomfort criteria.
- ISO 7726:2025 specifies characteristics of instruments and methods for measuring physical quantities that describe a thermal environment.
- ISO 9612:2025 covers measurement of occupational noise exposure, three measurement strategies, observation of exposure conditions and uncertainty.
- IMO's resolution index identifies MSC.337(91) as adoption of the Code on Noise Levels on Board Ships.
These official records establish document identity and broad scope. They do not determine which document, limits or acceptance process applies to a particular ship. Check current amendments, flag implementation, class rules, contract requirements, owner criteria and competent-review needs when agreeing the scope.
Turn the blank record into a controlled onboard plan.
Send the vessel particulars, affected spaces or roles, complaint or exposure question, work pattern, machinery and HVAC states, governing document, required decision, location and attendance window. The measurement strategy, operating matrix and report evidence can then be scoped before boarding.
Request a crew-environment scopeReview thermal-comfort surveysReview personal-noise monitoring