The Crewsaver #LifejacketSafe campaign
by Mark Jardine 3 Nov 2016 14:49 GMT
3 November 2016
We spoke to Hannah Burywood about the Crewsaver #LifejacketSafe campaign which was launched at the Southampton Boat Show. As Hannah explains, the team were noticing regular mistakes by sailors while they were out on the water and thought awareness needed to raised...
"Being a life jacket manufacturer, we're all on the water as regularly as we possibly can and we were all noticing a few common mistakes that people are making when they're on the water.
"Key examples are; wearing jackets over the top of their life jackets and not knowing where their pull cords are on modern-day life jackets, so we just wanted to create a campaign that would, firstly and most importantly, encourage people to wear their life jackets, but also to understand how to use them correctly."
At the Southampton Boat Show, Crewsaver were inviting visitors on to the stand and getting them in to life jackets, explaining how they work and then photographing them for the #LifejacketSafe wall. They also gave them a leaflet to take away with them (download here, PDF format), with the basic do's, don'ts and frequently asked questions. This all helped make sure that people were using their life jackets properly, looking after them, and making sure that if they do fall in, they are going to do what they're meant to do and save their life.
While life jacket usage is increasing in sailing, the details on how they work are often being overlooked and the Crewsaver team were keen to highlight their concerns:
"There are definitely some common errors. On a modern day life jacket the pull cord can be very different - we tuck away the cord so that it doesn't get snagged on anything. We've met people who have been wearing their life jacket regularly but haven't actually realized where their pull cord is because it's very different to what they're used to. Lots of little examples like where people have a life jacket with all the mod-cons and features but don't fully understand how they work. Obviously you really do want to understand where your pull cord is if you do come into a serious situation."
Another key area of life jacket maintenance is servicing and the Crewsaver team still find that many users aren't getting theirs checked when they should as Hannah explains:
"People tell us they've had their life jacket for ten years and they're thinking about getting it replaced and our first question is when did you get it serviced? So many reply that they've never had their life jacket serviced which is very scary. The RNLI did a campaign a couple of years ago and found that about 30% of the life jackets they had back wouldn't have worked because people weren't looking after them properly, which really highlights the importance of getting it serviced, checking it regularly, and looking after it properly."
And so I guess the first message is wear your life jacket, the second message is make sure your life jacket actually works and will do the job if you hit an emergency, and the third point is know how to use it in an emergency. Are there any other key points that you should give to a life jacket user?
Key messages of the #LifejacketSafe campaign:
- Wear your life jacket
- Make sure it will work in an emergency
- Look after it
- Understand how it works and what to do in an emergency
Life jackets have changed dramatically over the last few years so we asked Hannah what the advantages are of a modern lifejacket:
"Firstly comfort. Modern day life jackets are all 3D designed now, so they are a lot more comfortable to wear, which is great because that should encourage users to wear their life jackets for longer periods of time. The second reason is the safety features. Modern day life jackets have more packed inside them than they ever before. Bladder shapes are a lot more advanced to keep you a lot safer, spray hoods are integrated rather than being on the side and in pouches and a lot of life jackets now come with lights built inside or can have lights easily attached, and also AIS units. A lot of life jackets now are designed to work in conjunction with a built-in AIS system, so really give you a complete safety unit for when you're out on the water."
Crewsaver are excited about the #LifejacketSafe campaign and hope it will help raise awareness of the important issues surrounding safety on the water.
www.crewsaver.com