Module 4 - Safety
Personal Safety Equipment
What you will learn
Choose, fit and use personal safety equipment for the task, and organise the first response if someone falls overboard.
Personal safety starts before the emergency: wear the right flotation, clip to a suitable strong point before exposure, and use the engine cut-off device exactly as intended.
Level 150 lifejackets are intended for coastal and offshore use and are designed to help turn an unconscious wearer face-up. That performance still depends on choosing the right size and buoyancy for the activity, wearing the jacket snugly over the actual clothing, fastening semi-tight crotch straps, checking its condition and following the maker's servicing interval. Level 275 is aimed at extreme offshore conditions, especially with heavy or air-retaining clothing; it is not automatically the best choice for every trip.
A safety line connects a correctly fitted harness to a purpose-made strong point or jackstay. Clip on before leaving the safer area. Use the shortest suitable tether and a route that reduces the chance of reaching the water; guardrails are not harness attachment points and jackstays should be kept close to the centreline where practicable. Remaining attached is not the same as being safe: a person dragged alongside can still drown, so stop the vessel if a tethered person enters the water.
Where a kill cord is fitted, the driver wears it whenever the engine is running and tests it at the start of the day or session. Turn the engine off before changing driver, then attach the cord to the new driver before restarting. Do not clip the cord to loose clothing or lengthen it beyond the engine maker's arrangement.
If someone falls overboard unattached, raise the alarm immediately, deploy buoyancy, appoint one person to keep pointing, mark the position and slow or stop the vessel while the skipper organises communications, approach and recovery. The exact manoeuvre and recovery method depend on the boat and conditions, so every crew needs a rehearsed plan and usable recovery equipment.
Brief the crew before the exposed part of the passage
It is getting dark and the sea is building. One crew member may need to leave the cockpit while another will later drive the tender.
1. Fit
Check that each lifejacket is the right size, snug over the worn layers, in serviceable condition and secured with its crotch straps.
2. Clip
Agree the strong points, jackstay route and shortest suitable tether before anyone moves onto the exposed deck.
3. Cut the engine
Test and wear the tender's kill cord; stop the engine before transferring control to another driver.
Sense check: The plan should prevent separation from the boat where possible and still explain how the crew will stop, locate and recover a casualty if prevention fails.
Common mistake or limitation
- A higher Newton rating does not compensate for poor fit, loose crotch straps, unsuitable clothing interaction or overdue servicing.
- A long tether clipped to a guardrail can allow a person into the water or overload an unsuitable fitting; the attachment plan must be boat-specific.
Recap
- Select and fit flotation for the person, clothing, activity and conditions rather than relying on the Newton number alone.
- Clip early to a suitable route that aims to keep the wearer on board; stop the boat if a tethered casualty enters the water.
- Wear and test the kill cord where fitted, and rehearse the alarm, flotation, pointer, position and recovery sequence.
Optional quick check
Section 1 of 6
Which briefing best reduces the risk before a crew member leaves the cockpit at night?
Continue studying Safety
This public lesson is part of Revision Module 4. Full revision access adds the guided Learn, Practise and Test flow, flashcards and revision progress.