Partnership to improve water safety gear

SAI Global has announced it is partnering with Surf Life Saving Australia to develop what is claimed to be the world’s first specification/standard for low-buoyancy water safety gear, beginning with life jackets.

There is no flotation garment available anywhere in the world that meets all the needs of lifeguards and water-sports participants. Currently life jackets restrict movement or have a buoyancy level higher than the current Level 50 Australian Standard, preventing wearers from moving swiftly through water.

The new partnership is expected to improve water safety on a global level. SAI Global and Surf Life Saving Australia will pioneer research and engage manufacturers to develop the 'first-ever' compact, low-buoyancy life jackets that provide wearers with free movement, agility and speed in the water.

Surf Life Saving Australia will assist in testing the new life jacket in a number of water-based scenarios and indicate the criteria that the new product must meet. The development of this new product will ensure surf lifesavers and water-sports participants - such as paddle boarders and windsurfers - can minimise risks when they enter the water.

Richard Donarski, Team Leader Health & Safety who is heading SAI Global’s research into the new water-safety specification, says: “Accidents and injury can easily occur in the water during aquatic activities and, without such a life jacket, even the best swimmers may find themselves in danger when an incident occurs.

“A simple incident, such a head injury due to a collision with a board or boat or fainting due to fatigue, could result in a person sinking to the bottom of the water and not be able to be quickly located and rescued. This new product will help in the recovery of people in cases where injury or fatigue has occurred,” Donarski said.

SAI Global’s aim is to develop a product that will not only set a new Australian Safety Standard, but will also be recognised on a global level. SAI Global is calling for life-jacket manufacturers and suppliers of water safety products to work with them and Surf Life Saving Australia on the project. He is also welcoming the support of the various government agencies and associations involved in water-based activities and sports to participate and assist with the research and development of the new products.

The products will be tested in salt water, fresh water, surf, river and lakes. The first round of testing will be looking at minimum buoyancy levels and functions. Further testing will then be undertaken into functional activities and the various areas of coverage these products may need to be compliant with.

Greg Nance, CEO of Surf Life Saving Australia said that, “the organisation remains committed to the ongoing enhancement of safety and protection of all Surf Life Saving Australia members and the broader community. In any situation, multiple risk-control measures are activated to make the environment as safe as possible.

“We approached SAI Global to partner with Surf Life Saving Australia on this important project due to its outstanding reputation in product assurance and our confidence that they will deliver research that will help us continue this high level of safety in Australian waters,” he says.

Initial testing and product trials with take place in Sydney in April 2014 in collaboration with SAI Global, Surf Life Saving Australia, James Cook University and Vic Labs.