Lifejacket clinic in Cornwall finds HALF of those checked were too dangerous to use
The RNLI says 50% of jackets checked in Fowey were faulty or condemned
Last updated 6th Apr 2022
The RNLI are urging people to make regular checks to ensure the lifejackets they take out to sea would help them in the water.
It comes after a lifejacket clinic at Fowey lifeboat station found half of lifejackets being checked were dangerous or faulty.
On Saturday March 12, a team from Ocean Safety Ltd in Plymouth carried out vital safety checks at the station in Fowey on a total of 169 lifejackets, and 50% of those were marked as faulty or condemned.
Their Operations Manager at Fowey, Chris Ogg, said: "It is extremely important to have your lifejacket or any personal floatation device regularly checked and serviced. Your lifejacket may save your life one day, but only if you maintain it properly.
"If a lifejacket is faulty, you are basically wearing a dead weight around your neck. People brought along a variety of lifejackets to be checked and it was eye-opening to see the terrible condition of some of them.
"One was so badly damaged inside, the material disintegrated when it was unpacked".
The station runs a clinic biannually, and has seen less checks being made due to the pandemic.
With 50% needing a critical safety part replacing, over half might not have worked in an emergency and could potentially have caused loss of life.
Chris continued: "Quite a few had heavily corroded CO2 bottles, out-of-date parts and damaged areas of material, meaning that they would have failed to inflate in an emergency.
"While it was encouraging to see a good turnout of local sailors and boat users, there will be many people who did not come along and who may not have had their lifejackets checked in the last couple of years. It is vital that they are checked and serviced once a year by the manufacturer or recommended agent".
Although full services are needed regularly, according to the RNLI and Ocean Safety, Chris told us it's vital to make visual checks regularly yourselves if you own one.
We took a look at some of the stages you should take to ensure your lifejacket is safe to use:
As well as carrying out safety checks, Ocean Safety advised people on what danger signs to look out for, for example looking at the webbing and the stitching that holds the webbing together, checking for signs of worn stitching and also checking zips, buckles, fastenings and crotch straps.
Chris followed: "Many people don’t appreciate that fabric is significantly affected by salt water. If lifejackets have been stored in damp conditions for example on boats, critical elements such as the salt tablets used to trigger the inflation will absorb moisture.
"Defects can be revealed by them being regularly opened and inspected, and through manual inflation. We hope this vital water safety message reaches everyone who uses lifejackets, especially as the 2022 sailing and boating season gets underway".
You can find out more information about lifejackets to ensure you have the correct one for purpose on the RNLI's website.