Question 187Safety & Environmental - Assistant Engineer

The correct answer is B) applied by dropping the counterweighted lever. The hand brake of a lifeboat winch is a safety mechanism that is applied by dropping a counterweighted lever. This allows the operator to control the lowering speed of the lifeboat and prevent an uncontrolled descent. Option B correctly describes how the hand brake is engaged on a lifeboat winch. The other options are incorrect because: A) the hand brake is not manually disengaged when hoisting the boat, C) the centrifugal brake controls the lowering speed, not the hand brake, and D) the hand brake is not automatically engaged if the lowering speed is excessive - the operator must manually drop the lever to apply the brake.