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What are three requirements for a PFD to be legal?
All PFDs must be in good and serviceable condition and readily accessible. The wearable PFDs must be of the proper size for the intended wearer. Sizing for PFDs is based on body weight and chest size.
What determines how many wearable PFDs are required on board?
You need a wearable PFD for every person onboard your boat, and it needs to be the right size. Four adults and two children? You need four adult-sized PFDs and two-child sized PFDs. If your boat is longer than 16 ft, you also need at least one Type 4, throwable PFD, on board.
What is a requirement for the USCG approved inflatable PFDs?
With the exception of kayaks and canoes, every vessel must carry one wearable U.S. Coast Guard-Approved PFD for every person on board if the vessel is 16 feet or longer. Inflatable PFD must be worn in order to be considered readily accessible. Inflatable U.S. Coast Guard-Approved PFD are acceptable for persons age 16.
What is the requirement for PFDs on board a Paddlecraft?
All paddlecraft must have at least one wearable PFD of a proper size for each person on board. It won’t work if you don’t wear it! All paddlecraft operators must have a sound-producing device on board such as a whistle, bell, or horn.
Who must wear a PFD?
Any person operating or manipulating, or who is a passenger on a PWC, water skis, sailboard, parasail or similar devices shall wear a proper PFD. Children 12 years and younger are required to wear a USCG approved PFD while on an open deck or cockpit of a vessel that is underway or when the child is being towed.
Are inflatable PFDs Coast Guard approved?
To be acceptable by the USCG, they must be worn at all times and used for the activity specified on the label. Varieties include kayaking, waterskiing, windsurfing, deck suits and hybrid inflatable vests. Type V PFDs come in inflatable or hybrid (inherently buoyant and inflatable) designs.
What is required of every life jacket or PFD?
Life jackets must be Coast Guard-approved, in serviceable condition and the appropriate size for the intended user. Obviously, they are most effective when worn. On a vessel underway, children under 13 must wear an appropriate Coast Guard-approved PFD, unless they are below decks or in an enclosed cabin.
What is are the legal requirements for a PFD?
as indicated by a label on the PFD.
What is a required PFD?
Administration Controls Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Personal flotation devices (PFDs) are required when there is a chance of falling into water such as working near unguarded edges, boarding or leaving small boats, or working on floats. [ 29 CFR 1915.73 (e), 29 CFR 1915.77 (e), 29 CFR 1915.71 (j) (3)]
Who is required to wear an USCG-approved PFD?
Any person operating or manipulating, or who is a passenger on a PWC, water skis, sailboard, parasail or similar devices shall wear a proper PFD. Children 12 years and younger are required to wear a USCG approved PFD while on an open deck or cockpit of a vessel that is underway or when the child is being towed.
What type of PFD is approved for a personal watercraft?
Personal Watercraft. In South Carolina, each person on a personal watercraft must wear a US Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, III or V PFD . A personal watercraft may not be operated between sunset and sunrise and must be equipped with a self-circling or lanyard-type engine cutoff switch.