NSW Lifejacket Laws Updated

[Gad]

Info for those of us who, at times fish over the border

06 Dec 2012

NSW Maritime says it has fine tuned the state's boating safety rules to make it simpler for people to understand when they are required to wear a lifejacket.

Office of Boating Safety and Maritime Affairs General Manager Howard Glenn said changes to the Marine Safety (General) Regulation follow new laws introduced in 2010 which required lifejackets to be worn in certain conditions and situations.

"There's no single more important piece of safety equipment on board a boat than a lifejacket," Mr Glenn said.

"The best safety practice is that everybody on board a small boat wears a lifejacket, but there are situations of heightened risk where the law actually requires one to be worn."

"We've listened to ideas for fine tuning these laws which were introduced in 2010, and made some clarifications."

The main changes to the regulations include:

• Pejar Dam near Goulburn and the Yass River are now confirmed as "alpine waters"

• people on board vessels on alpine waters may now wear any type of lifejacket

• removing the exemption from wearing a lifejacket which previously applied to surf skis, which now come under the requirements for canoes and kayaks

• requiring people aboard vessels less than 4.8 metres to wear lifejackets at all times between sunset and sunrise

• requiring canoeists and kayakers to wear lifejackets at all times when on white water

• clarifying that inflatable lifejackets that have been purchased or acquired new less than 12 months ago are considered to be appropriate, regardless of when they were manufactured

• amending an existing clause that requires a person to wear a lifejacket if he or she is boating alone in a small vessel without emergency assistance, to allow the company of a young person to qualify as emergency assistance if the young person is the holder of a boating licence

• increases safety requirements for divers with improvements to the display of dive flags, including that the flags must be in good condition and may be displayed on a nearby buoy

With the new changes, the law now requires lifejackets to be worn:

• by children less than 12 years old at all times when aboard a vessel less than 4.8 metres long and when aboard a vessel less than 8 metres long which is underway

• by all occupants of a vessel less than 4.8 metres long between sunset and sunrise, in open or alpine waters, when boating alone or when being used to transport goods/people more than 200 metres from shore

• by anyone being towed, including waterskiing, wakeboarding or parasailing and those being towed on tubes, sea biscuits or similar towable devices

• by anyone aboard a canoe or kayak when more than 100 metres from shore or on open or white water

• by a person kitesurfing alone more than 400 metres from shore

• when in an off-the-beach sailing vessel in open waters

• in certain situations of heightened risk including, but not limited to bad weather and crossing bars

• by anyone at any time when directed by the skipper

"Boating Safety Officers carry out random inspections of recreational and commercial vessels across NSW waterways," Mr Glenn said.

"Their role is primarily education and safety, but they do have enforcement powers and penalties apply for non-compliance."

For more information about lifejacket safety visit lifejacketwearit.com.au.

[Gad]

Howzat lifejacket campaign

03 Dec 2012

NSW Minister for Roads and Ports Duncan Gay has launched a new water safety campaign to bring down the rising number of boating fatalities in the state.

Mr Gay said there has been a spike in fatalities on the state's coastline and waterways, with 10 people killed on the water since July this year.

"Sadly, I'm confident many of these people would still be alive today if they were wearing lifejackets," Mr Gay said.

"No one expects to fall in the water and get separated from their vessel. No one expects that years of swimming experience will be rendered useless if they slip and hit their head or fall in the water fully clothed.

"A ten year report into Boating Incidents shows 167 people lost their lives in the ten years to June 2012. It's disturbing that 93 per cent of people who died on NSW waterways weren't wearing a lifejacket, especially given the most common types of recreational vessel fatal incidents involved vessels capsizing and people falling overboard.

"Before you set foot on the deck of a boat, go fishing from a tinny or some rocks, or get on another vessel like a jetski or a windsurfer, we want you to put on a lifejacket.

"A lifejacket never ruined a day on the water – that's the message of the campaign that will be running intensively over this summer period and in 2013.

"We want people boating to have fun, and to reinforce the message we'll be giving out some great tickets to the summer cricket as an incentive.

"Boating safety officers carrying out random safety checks of recreational vessels will be giving away tickets to the New Year's Test match and the One Day Series matches at the SCG as well NSW SpeedBlitz Blues cricket matches to everyone on board if they are all wearing lifejackets."

For more information visit www.lifejacketwearit.com.au.

The report is available at http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/news/long-term-study-on-boating-incidents-in-nsw.

[Binder]

yeah, that sounds simplified :pinch:

[ghendoaus]

Website for lifejacket laws
/>http://www.lifejacketwearit.com.au/lifejacket-law/lifejacket-law/