Types and use of personal life-saving appliances
What this domain tests
This domain covers the items issued to, worn by or thrown to a person: lifejackets, immersion suits, thermal protective aids (TPAs) and lifebuoys. The exam checks that you can don each item correctly, state its limits and use it in the right order.
Lifejackets
- Adult lifejackets give at least 143 N of buoyancy and must turn an unconscious wearer face-up with the mouth clear of water.
- Wear over warm clothing with the crotch strap fastened; check the whistle, light and reflective tape by buddy-check.
- Jump feet first, legs together, one hand pinching the nose and covering the mouth, the other holding the lifejacket front, eyes forward, elbows in.
Immersion suits and TPAs
- An immersion suit must be donned unassisted within two minutes, is worn over warm clothing and slows cold-water shock; add a lifejacket if it has no inherent buoyancy.
- A TPA is worn inside the craft, not in the water, to reduce heat loss. It is not a flotation device.
Lifebuoys
- At least 2.5 kg, marked with the ship's name and port of registry; many carry a light, smoke and a buoyant line of at least 30 m on quick release.
- Man overboard: shout, point, throw the buoy near the casualty, keep visual contact and inform the bridge.
Worked example
A passenger falls overboard at night and you see the splash. Shout 'man overboard, port side', throw the lighted lifebuoy just beyond and upwind of the casualty so it drifts to them, keep pointing, and send someone to the bridge. You do not jump in.
Traps
- A loose lifejacket without the crotch strap rides up over the head.
- Treating a TPA as buoyancy.
- Donning an immersion suit over a lifejacket where the suit should be under it.
- Throwing a lifebuoy at the casualty or losing sight of them.