Reminder – new life jacket stowage rules for boaties
Recent safety equipment checks by Maritime Safety Queensland compliance officers found some boaties have better access to their fishing tackle and eskies than to their life jackets and other safety gear.
Maritime Safety Queensland General Manager Patrick Quirk urged boaties to remember new rules came in from January 1 this year that require owners and masters of vessels to make sure they tell each person on board where all the safety equipment is kept and how to get to it in a hurry.
“Emergencies happen quickly on the water, so it’s vitally important to the safety of all on board to ensure easy access to safety equipment,” Mr Quirk said.
“In 2010, of the 14 fatalities on Queensland waters, only two were known to be wearing life jackets."
“We all need to take stock of these statistics and make sure we go home to our families at the end of the day.”
Mr Quirk said if life jackets weren’t clearly visible to passengers, the boat owners or masters must give each person on board information about where the safety equipment is kept and clearly sign where life jackets are stowed."
“This is about saving lives – it’s also about commonsense. As the skipper you also need to make sure your passengers know how to put on a life jacket,” he said.
The reminder comes after three anglers, including a 17-year-old girl, endured a terrifying night lost in rough seas off Dalrymple Bay when a fishing trip took a nasty turn – wearing a life jacket probably saved their lives.
Life jackets improve the survival rate of incident victims, particularly after an incident such as capsizing, sinking, swamping or falling overboard.
Under the current legislation, a life jacket - also known as personal flotation devices (PFDs) must be worn:
- by people under 12 years when travelling in an open boat less than 4.8 metres in length if the boat is required to be equipped with PFDs
- by all people travelling on an open boat less than 4.8 metres in length when the boat is crossing a designated coastal bar if the boat is required to be equipped with PFDs
- all people travelling on a personal watercraft (or, jet ski).
The penalty for lack of signage is now $200 and signs can be purchased from any marine chandlery.
Maritime Safety Queensland’s Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers will be out on the waterways conducting random checks of safety equipment so we urge all boaties to be responsible and ensure they’re meeting the new safety standards.
Remember: You're The Skipper, You're Responsible.
Skippers need to be constantly aware of their responsibilities on the waterways, continually observing maritime regulations and safety requirements.
You should:
- prepare by having the correct equipment for the journey, keeping it well maintained, monitoring expiry dates and checking before it goes on board that it's working properly
- make sure safety equipment is quickly and easily accessible, particularly in an emergency, and make sure everyone onboard knows where it is
- know how and when to use safety equipment because conditions can change quickly, and at the first sign of trouble life jackets should be donned with other safety equipment readily at hand
- wear life jackets in dangerous situations such as crossing bars but also be aware that even on clear, calm days things can go wrong.
Further information
