Regulation 21 Beds
Every sleeping room shall be fitted with a bed for each person accommodated in the room.
The framework of each bed and its leeboards or lee rails, if any, shall be constructed of metal or some other material which is hard, smooth and unlikely to become corroded. If the bed is constructed with tubular frames, the frames shall be completely sealed.
There shall be unobstructed access to at least one side of each bed, and the sides of the beds in each room shall be suitably separated. Where the ends of beds abut upon each other, they shall be separated by rigid screens made of wood, or other suitable opaque material. Beds shall not be arranged in tiers of more than two.
Beds shall not be fitted fore-and-aft along the vessel's side unless the size of the room is such that it is impracticable to fit them elsewhere. Where beds are fitted along the vessel's side, they shall be in single tier, except in a room in which there is no side scuttle or in which any side scuttle fitted is fitted clear of the beds.
No bed shall be fitted:
within 100 millimetres of a ventilation trunk used for circulating hot air; or
within 50 millimetres of a bulkhead or the vessel's side, unless the bed is so fitted (i) as to fill any gap by the bed which might harbour dirt or vermin and (ii) as to enable the bedding to be kept clean and dry.
The distance from the bottom of the mattress of every bed to the floor of the room shall be at least 300 millimetres.
The upper berth of every two tier bed shall be placed midway or approximately midway between the bottom of the lower berth and the lower side of the deckhead beams, or ceiling if fitted below those beams.
The minimum inside dimensions of every bed shall wherever practicable be 1·90 metres by 680 millimetres and in no case less than 1·83 metres by 610 millimetres. If leeboards or lee rails are fitted the measurements shall be taken from inside them.
Every bed shall be fitted with either:
a spring bottom or spring under-mattress and a top mattress of a material which will resist damp and is unlikely to harbour vermin; or
a suitable resilient mattress fitted on a suitably ventilated base.
A bottom of wood, canvas or dust-proof material shall be fitted to the bottom of the top berth of every two-tier bed.