TYPE 3 PFD HOW TO

Only if the user complies with the approval conditions will the carriage requirement be met. Will the approved inflatable PFD satisfy the USCG carriage requirement? However, the Coast Guard agrees, in general, that unapproved equipment is better than no equipment. The Coast Guard notes that a poorly manufactured device could fail to provide needed assistance, or a poorly designed device could actually perform in such a way that the user is safer having no PFD at all. The Coast Guard continues to believe that in order to achieve the minimum acceptable level of safety and meet operational needs, only Coast Guard-approved devices, which meet specified safety criteria, should be counted toward carriage requirements. However, carrying these PFDs does not count toward meeting the equipment carriage requirement. The Coast Guard acknowledges that there are no regulations currently preventing the sale of non-approved inflatable PFDs to the public.Д¬an someone use non-approved inflatable PFDs?Д¬oast Guard regulations do not prohibit the carriage and use of non-approved PFDs. The wearers of the PFDs are limited to persons at least 16 years of age and weighting more than 80 pounds. The Coast Guard defines вЂњconditionally approvedвЂќ to mean that its approval is based on what the user must comply with in order for the PFD to be counted toward meeting the carriage requirements. An inflatable PFD design that does not comply with the UL standard will be labeled as a conditionally approved Type V PFD. The UL standards were developed in accordance with the American National Standards Institute procedure for voluntary industry standards. The laboratory performs approval testing using the Underwriters laboratories (UL) 1180 standard. Prior to any inflatable PFD being approved by the Coast Guard, an independent laboratory must evaluate the PFD designs. Most of the inflatable PFDs being sold on the open market are not approved by the Coast Guard.

This position defines who is an adult or child, thereby enabling the Coast Guard to set the limitation of usage on the inflatable PFDs.ДЄre all inflatable PFDs in the market place approved by the Coast Guard?

TYPE 3 PFD HOW TO

On the issue of inflatable PFDs used by children, the Coast Guard takes the position that because of the importance of understanding how to properly use the PFDs, only persons over the age of 16 years are considered adults. The Coast Guard, being keenly aware of the unique risks involving the inflatable PFDs, has imposed strict labeling and information pamphlet requirements to explicitly state that the PFDs are not recommended for use by non-swimmers. Therefore, there are no regulations restricting the use of the inflatable PFD for non-swimmers. The Coast Guard acknowledges there is no practical way for law enforcement officers to conduct field tests for swimming abilities. The inflatable PFD is not approved for children (under 16 years of age) and is not recommended for use by non-swimmers. Unfortunately, not everyone was approved to wear the inflatable PFDs. This ruling established approval procedures for manufactures of inflatable PFDs. The Recreational Inflatable PFD Standards ruling was effective on Sept.

This approval subsequently allowed boaters to purchase and use approved inflatable PFDs on their boats to meet the legal requirement for PFDs. The Approval of the Inflatable PFD for Recreational Boaters became effective on April 29, 1996. And, also gives some good info that makes them approved based on who can wear them and if they will be accepted to pass all safety requirements ect ect. I think this answers all of your questions. Here is a copy and paste from the USCG page. And I believe you are correct about inland/protected waters as it is reasonable to expect a speedy rescue as compared to open water, (aka the ocean)). (At the bottom I threw in a blurb about the differences.

Type 3 pfd