Personal Flotation Devices for Pleasure Craft and Personal Watercraft

Purpose

The purpose of this Marine Notice is to highlight the requirements for the carriage, certification, selection and wearing of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) for pleasure craft and personal watercraft. The Marine Notice also contains recommendations on correct use for users of Personal Flotation Devices.

What is a Personal Flotation Device?

A PFD is:

·         a lifejacket that is  marked[1] or wheel marked[2], or

·         a buoyancy aid that is  marked.

 

Tables B and C of this Marine Notice provide further information on the differences between a lifejacket and a buoyancy aid and associated use.

 

Editor’s edition: There Are Five PFD Types: Type I: Offshore Life Jackets: Best for all waters where rescue may be delayed and will turn unconscious wearers to face-up position Type II: Near-shore Vests: Best for calm, inland water where a quick rescue is likely. Type III: Floatation Aids: For general boating or the specialized activity, such as water skiing, hunting, fishing, canoeing, kayaking and others. Good for calm, inland waters, or where there is a good chance for fast rescue. Type IV: Throwable Device: Can be a square style, or a ring buoy or horseshoe buoy on deck. NOTE– A Type IV Throwable Device is required on every boat 16-feet or longer. It does not count as a wearable PFD. Type V: Special-use Devices: Manual units are activated by yanking a pull-tab. Both types, Hybrid inflation and Automatic inflation, of inflatables feature blow-tubes to provide a back-up method of inflation.

Personal Flotation Device Regulations

The Pleasure Craft (Personal Flotation Devices and Operation) (Safety) Regulations[3] apply to pleasure craft being operated in Irish waters and to:

·         any person on board a pleasure craft;

·         any person being towed by a pleasure craft, or on board a craft or object of any kind being towed by a pleasure craft.

 

Table A of this Marine Notice provides further details on the application of the regulations to particular types/size of craft and sets out the carriage, certification and wearing requirements for PFDs on pleasure craft and personal watercraft.

 

There must be suitable PFDs for everyone on board any pleasure craft.

 

Failure to comply with the legal requirements – Fixed Payments and Fines:

Where an authorised officer has reasonable grounds for believing that a person is committing or has committed an offence under the PFD regulations, he or she may serve a fixed payment notice in the prescribed form on the person in question. The person who is alleged to have committed the offence may pay €150 during the period of 21 days from the date of the notice.  Failure to pay the €150 within the 21 days will lead to the institution of prosecution proceedings and, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding €5,000.

Selection of Personal Flotation Devices

When selecting a PFD, it is very important to select the correct device that is suited to the particular conditions and circumstances in which it will be used. Reference should be made to Tables B, C and D of this Marine Notice, which set out the various PFD performance levels available and their associated description of use.

Recommendations for correct use of a Personal Flotation Device

·         Users should read and understand the manufacturers’ instruction manual when they acquire a new PFD as each device may have specific user instructions.

·         PFDs should be worn over all clothing and not underneath. This is to ensure that there is sufficient space for the device to inflate and that the user’s breathing is not restricted.

·         PFDs should be worn in the correct position on the torso as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Hold-down devices can greatly assist in keeping the PFD in the correct position, as detailed below.

·         Users should be fully familiar with the operation of their inflatable PFDs both manually and automatically.

·         Automatically inflatable PFDs, which operate by means of a soluble bobbin, may activate in error if left in a damp condition. When inflatable PFDs are not being worn, they should be hung to dry vertically to ensure that all moisture drains away from the bobbin. Covers are available which reduce the problem of accidental inflation.

·         Whilst not a requirement of the PFD regulations, it is recommended that anyone alone on board a craft should wear a PFD at all times regardless of weather conditions, the size of the craft or whether the craft is made fast to the shore or at anchor.

·         It is recommended that all persons should wear a lifejacket at all times while on an open pleasure craft or on the deck of a decked pleasure craft.

·         Where PFDs are required to be carried on board a craft, it is recommended that they are stored in a readily accessible position which may save time in an emergency situation.

·         It is recommended that a PFD should be fitted with hold-down devices such as crotch straps or thigh straps which should be worn to maximise lifesaving potential and reduce the risk of the PFD riding up on the user, potentially moving it to an incorrect position. Some PFDs are sold with hold-down devices provided and others are sold with the hold-down device as an optional extra.

·         Please see Appendix 1 of this Marine Notice regarding the effect of Cold Water Shock and the benefits of a correctly worn lifejacket.

Inspection and Servicing of Personal Flotation Devices

PFDs have a limited lifespan and require regular inspection and servicing in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Servicing should only be carried out by the manufacturers or their approved agent. 

Users of PFDs should ensure that the device is inspected prior to each use as per the manufacturer’s instructions. The inspection, as a minimum, should include:

·         Inspection of harness straps/stitching for damage/wear;

·         Inspection of external lining for wear/damage;

·         Checking that all buckles are correctly adjusted;

·         Checking that all zips, buckles, fasteners, webbing straps and lights (if fitted) are functioning correctly;

·         Checking all hold-down devices attached to the PFD, if fitted;

·         Inflatable lifejackets – refer to manufacture’s user instructions with particular reference to the CO2 gas firing cylinder;

·         Checking any marked expiry dates to confirm that there are no expired components.

If any concern exists regarding a PFD or a component following a user’s inspection, it should not be used and should be brought to an approved service agent for servicing.

 

This is an information notice which serves to draw attention to the relevant legislation and is not a legal interpretation of the legislation.

Table A – Personal Flotation Devices: Certification, carriage, selection and wearing requirements
LENGTH OVERALL of craft	PFD CERTIFICATION AND CARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS See notes (1) and (2)	SELECTION OF PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICES	REQUIRED WEARING OF PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE
			PLEASURE CRAFT see note (3)		PERSONAL WATERCRAFT See note (6)
			OPEN CRAFT See note (4)	DECKED CRAFT See note (5)
Less than 4 metres	or For all persons	Refer to Tables B, C and D.	All persons	All persons while on deck	All persons
Less than 7 metres	or For all persons	Refer to Tables B, C and D.	All persons	All persons while on deck	Not applicable
7 metres or greater	or For all persons	Refer to Tables B, C and D.	All persons under 16 years of age	All persons under 16 years of age while on deck	Not applicable
Over 13.7 metres	For all persons See note (7)	Refer to Table C.	All persons under 16 years of age	All persons under 16 years of age while on deck	Not applicable
Notes:
(1)  Means lifejackets and buoyancy aids that are marked with the CE conformity marking consisting of the initials ‘CE’ taking the form shown in the specimen in Annex II of Regulation (EC) 765/2008 of 9 July 2008. (2)  Means lifejackets that have the mark of conformity in the form of the wheel mark symbol set out in Annex I to Council Directive 2014/90/EU of 23 July 2014. (3)  Does not apply to: - a person on board a pleasure craft (other than a personal watercraft), which is not under way, when the person is wearing, putting on, or taking off, scuba diving equipment, or is about to engage in, or has just completed swimming (including snorkelling) from the craft; - The PFD regulations do not apply to rowers in boats which are designed and specifically used for rowing in boat races and are capable of being entered into regattas or other events recognised by the Irish Amateur Rowing Union, and of a design and type in respect of which events are held in the Olympic Games or other international rowing regattas. (4)  “Decked craft” means a pleasure craft which is not an open craft. (5)  “Open craft” means a pleasure craft which does not have a cabin or below deck facilities for the use of persons and where seating, or any place on the craft used for seating, is exposed or partially exposed to the elements. (6)  “Personal watercraft” means a craft of less than 4 metres in length which uses an internal combustion engine having a water jet pump as its primary source of propulsion, and which is designed to be operated by a person or persons sitting, standing or kneeling on, rather than within the confines of, a hull. (7)  Consideration to be given to the carriage of  marked lifejackets for use on deck in addition to  marked lifejackets.

 

 

 

 

Appendix 1:

 

Cold water shock kills     Stage 1: Cold shock (3 – 5 minutes)   Stage 2: Swimming failure (3 – 30 minutes)   Stage 3: Hypothermia (after 30 minutes)   Stage 4: Post rescue collapse (during or hours after rescue)

 

 

What does a correctly sized and worn lifejacket DO for YOU?     Makes YOU feel safe   Keeps YOU alive   Stops YOU from panicking   Supports YOU even when unconscious   Supports and protects YOU until help arrives   But only if you keep YOUR lifejacket from riding-up!