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WHY “APPROVED ONLY WHEN WORN”?
This flotation device requires more frequent checks than devices
with a cylinder seal indicator or fully inherently buoyant devices.
This approval condition lets users overcome its design trait that
would otherwise prevent approval. By wearing this flotation device:
1.
It gets needed extra attention associated with use;
2.
Users get to know the disadvantages it has; and
3.
Safety increases enormously because user has it when needed
When this flotation device is not worn, it’s less likely to be in working
order and cannot be counted as an approved flotation device to meet
the carriage requirements on your boat.
MANDATORY CARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS
The U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada require you to carry
approved flotation devices of the correct size for each person on
board that are legibly marked with an approval number and are in
good and serviceable condition. To be considered serviceable, this
flotation device shall not exhibit deterioration that could diminish
its performance such as broken or deformed hardware, detached
webbing, rotted structural components, air leaks, or nonfunctional
oral inflation tube. Unless worn inflated, this flotation device must
also be properly armed with a full CO
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cylinder, inflation system status
indicator, and an accessible manual inflation lanyard. A flotation
device which is “approved only when worn” or “required to be worn”
must be worn under the specified conditions.
WHY ARE FLOTATION DEVICES REQUIRED SAFETY EQUIPMENT?
Drowning is the leading cause of fatalities involving recreational
boating. In over 80 percent of fatal incidents the person was not
wearing flotation and most of these occurred after falls overboard
or capsize of small boats. An approved flotation device, when worn,
helps raise your head above water in the first critical moments of
immersion. Some devices are designed to keep you to face up in the
water, and increase your chances for survival and rescue. Different
body types float differently and some boating activities require
special features in a flotation device.
