Lifejackets

[Thistle]

Sad but nevertheless interesting judgement from a Fatal Accident Enquiry: http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/search-judgments/judgment?id=081075a7-8980-69d2-b500-ff0000d74aa7

How long will it be before lifejackets / PFDs become properly compulsory for fishermen and those on leisure craft?

(Note: for those unfamiliar with Scottish Fatal Accident Enquiries, they are very roughly the equivalent of Coroner's Courts but are only used in very limited circumstances, mainly deaths in custody, deaths at work or in cases where there are suspicious circumstances.)

 

[Stemar]

In this case, sea conditions were described as good, so a life jacket may well have helped, but I'm reminded of a post several years ago where someone quoted part of his safety briefing "This is your safety line. Keep it clipped to the boat and it will keep you from going overboard. This is your life jacket. It will help the RNLI recover your body if you do go overboard." A bit of an exaggeration, but not far from the truth, especially in rough, cold water.

I don't think an automatic LJ would be a lot of good on a fishing boat; there's too much risk of it getting dowsed with water and inflating when you least want it to, and going overboard is frequently as a result of being clobbered by something, when you may not be in a fit state to set off a manual one, but a PFD, especially combined with a harness might help. Do they make a such a thing?

 

[NotBirdseye]

I don't think an automatic LJ would be a lot of good on a fishing boat; there's too much risk of it getting dowsed with water and inflating when you least want it to, and going overboard is frequently as a result of being clobbered by something, when you may not be in a fit state to set off a manual one, but a PFD, especially combined with a harness might help. Do they make a such a thing?

Fishermen's lifejackets are a) stupidly more expensive (3x the cost of your average Crewsaver) b) fitted with a minimum of Hammar tech.

 

[capnsensible]

Fishermen's lifejackets are a) stupidly more expensive (3x the cost of your average Crewsaver) b) fitted with a minimum of Hammar tech.

Happy to be corrected, but in the four weeks Ive spent so far this year sailing on the Algarve, it seemsto me that lifejackets- or at least bouyancy aids- are now compulsory for fishermen?

 

[NotBirdseye]

I would certainly hope so.

Here: https://fishingnews.co.uk/news/life-jackets-law-shock/

 

[Thistle]

I certainly agree that something to keep you on board in the first place is the ideal but it is subject to even more restrictions than a lifejacket.

I suspect that the full answer will require a re-think of the design of fishing boats and of the working practices aboard hand-in-hand with a change in attitude to safety and safety equipment. Much effort has been made to encourage such changes and now, perhaps, the time has come for compulsion.

The same considerations probably apply to the leisure industry too.

 

[mm42]

Fishermen's lifejackets are a) stupidly more expensive (3x the cost of your average Crewsaver) b) fitted with a minimum of Hammar tech.

And were given out free of charge by Seafish and yet still are very rarely routinely worn.