🔍 Key Concepts

• SOLAS and LSA (Life-Saving Appliances) Code requirements for launching appliances and lifeboat gear • Difference between safety factor, working load, and breaking strength • How regulations define the basis for calculating the safety factor (what weight or load you start from)

💭 Think About

• Look at each choice and ask: what is the load condition the regulation actually uses for calculating safety factor—normal working load, fully-loaded weight, maximum stress, or breaking strength? • Think about why lifeboat blocks and falls need a conservative design: in an emergency, how are they loaded and what condition must they safely handle? • Which option correctly pairs a realistic safety factor value used for life‑saving gear with the proper reference load (not just generic stress or breaking strength)?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify in the LSA Code / SOLAS Chapter III how safety factors for launching appliances and lifeboat falls are defined. • Check whether the regulation talks about working load of the survival craft or breaking strength of the wire or maximum allowable stress. • Confirm which numerical safety factor (4, 5, 6, or 8) is actually specified for blocks and falls used as lifeboat gear, not for other equipment.