PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICES
Please consider these safety suggestions:
• It's little use to you if you're not wearing it
• Anybody venturing out in any type of craft
- canoe/windsurfer etc, should wear one
• Everybody on board needs to wear an approved PFD when
crossing a coastal bar
• Always wear one if boating alone (put a Personal Locating Beacon in your pocket as well, in case you fall overboard and the boat keeps going)
• Always wear one at night
• Always have a suitable jacket on young children. Very
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young children don't float, and sink immediately
• PFD's must meet the current Australian Standard
• PFD's must fit the intended wearer - eg if kids on board, the vessel must be equipped with kid's PFDs
• PFD's will always have a label identifying the type, body mass flotation, and Australian Standard
• If the label is illegible, the PFD is not suitable
• PFD 1s, always have reflective tape, and also a whistle, which doubles as a sound signal device
• Don't wear a PFD 1 when water skiing, as their neck support might cause neck damage in a fall
• Comfortable yoke style PFD 1s are now available which use a CO² cartridge to inflate. These must be serviced as per manufacturer recommendations
• Don't leave the PFD in the plastic wrapper you bought them in. Have them readily accessible and ready for use in case of an emergency
• Instruct all persons coming on your boat where the PFDs are, and how to put one on
• Don't use the pillow style PFD's as a seat cushion, as this reduces the life span of the stitching
• The Water Police check life jacket condition when they do vessel checks. If they find split seams, faded labels, etc, you will be warned/fined
• A new flotation device determining system is coming in 2010, to replace the Type 1,2,3 codes. The new system, and the equivalent codes are:
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Level 150 (equivalent to inflatable PFD1)
Level 100 (equivalent to PFD1)
Level 50 (equivalent to PFD 2)
Level 50S (equivalent to PFD 3)
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PFD 1,2,3 type jackets will remain approved for many years, so no need to replace them now. |
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