Wear a lifejacket
Given the circumstances in which people may find themselves in the water, certainly without the time to don a lifejacket, it makes sense to wear one all the time. A lifejacket will keep you afloat long enough for those adjacent to the MOB to effect a rescue, or even until the arrival of the SAR services. You never know when you are going to find yourself in the water; a small error can often result in a tragedy.
Of all the bodies that the RNLI have pulled from the water, precious few are wearing lifejackets, those that are have died from secondary causes, and certainly all casualties would have had their survival prolonged to allow the search part of SAR to take place.
Any employer whose employees are engaged in maritime activity insist that they wear lifejackets, because their liability means that they will have conducted a risk assessment, and have concluded that wearing a lifejacket will mitigate the risk.
The RNLI feels it is risky to specify conditions were it is appropriate or not to wear a lifejacket, as it is better to err on the side of caution, knowing that inevitably somebody will drown because they felt they had not been told that they should wear lifejacket. It is better to promote an uncompromising message, in the knowledge that individuals will make their own decisions about whether they or their colleagues should wear lifejacket based on their attitude to risk, and their evaluation of the conditions.
Wearing a correctly fitted lifejacket improves survival times, and improves morale and hence the chance of survival of the casualty.
The fitting of a lifejacket is slightly different to a buoyancy aid. Always make sure you choose a lifejacket that fits comfortably over your normal sailing clothes and is fully adjustable. Spend time adjusting the straps so that you can place your fist between the buckle and yourself with no other gaps. Too big a gap and the lifejacket will be loose when in the water; too small a gap may be uncomfortable. Look for additions such as a spray hood, light, whistle and crutch straps that it all goes towards making your own personal survival lifejacket should the worst happen and you fall over board.
The buoyancy of the lifejacket is measured in Newtons and there are typically 3 classes of lifejacket:
100N - designed for sheltered use and/or weak swimmers. Will NOT turn an unconscious casualty face up.
150N - designed for coastal sailing and if fitted correctly will turn an unconscious casualty face up.
175N - designed for offshore use and/or use with lots of clothes.
