MARINE GUIDANCE NOTE

MGN 329 (M)

Lifejackets " Infant and Oversized Passengers"

Notice to all Owners, Operators, Masters and Crew of Passenger Ships.

PLEASE NOTE:-
Where this document provides guidance on the law it should not be regarded as definitive.
The way the law applies to any particular case can vary according to circumstances - for
example, from vessel to vessel and you should consider seeking independent legal advice if
you are unsure of your own legal position.

Summary
The purpose of this Note is to provide general guidance on Lifejackets for Infant and
Oversized passengers

The Annex to this MGN provides an advance notice to the amendments to the 1974
SOLAS Convention and the Amendments to the International Life-Saving Appliance (LSA)
Code that will come into force on 1 January 2010

1. Introduction

1.1. The lifejacket is probably one of the most recognisable pieces of personal life-saving
appliances. The regulations require that a lifejacket shall be provided for every person
on board.

1.2. There is currently no statutory requirement to carry lifejackets specifically designed for
infants. However, where infants might be carried on board, it is a matter of good safety
management that appropriate personal life saving appliances are provided. There are
products available for the personal safety of infants available in the form of floating cots
or smaller lifejackets adapted for infants.

1.3. A related issue is the possibility that a standard lifejacket may not be suitable for larger
passengers. As guidance, large can be considered as 140 kg weight, 2 m tall, or more
and 1350 mm chest girth or more but up to 1750 mm. Lifejackets suiting such sizes or
straps to make standard lifejackets fit to those sizes are available on the market.

1.4. For vessels of classes I, II and II(A) this equipment will become mandatory on the 1
January 2010. The amendments to SOLAS can be found in the Annex to this MGN.

1.5. Amendments to the International Life-Saving Appliance (LSA) Code, that will become
mandatory on the 1 January 2010 can be found in the Annex to this MGN.

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1.6. This MGN provides guidance on the best practice for dealing with these two extremes
of the size scale.

2. Infant Lifejackets:

2.1. Infant life jackets should:

• be clearly marked with the word “INFANT”.
• be stored in a place that is clearly indicated.
• be readily available in case of emergency.

2.2. For passenger vessels on voyages with a duration of less than 24 hours, infant
lifejackets are not required on board at all times. However, if the operator foresees that
infants may be carried on a specific voyage or are carried during normal operations
then it is recommended that:-
• People travelling with infants should be made aware of the provision of floating cots
and infants’ lifejackets when boarding the vessel.
• The procedure for handling, storage and distribution should be reflected in the
Safety Management System.
• At least a number of infant lifejackets equal to 2.5% of the number of passengers
the vessel is certified to carry should be readily available.

2.3. For passenger vessels on voyages with a duration of more than 24 hours, infant
lifejackets should be provided for each infant on board:-
• People travelling with infants should be made aware of the provision and
arrangements of floating cots and infants’ lifejackets when boarding the vessel.
• The procedure for handling, storage and distribution should be reflected in the
Safety Management System.

3. Oversized Lifejackets

3.1. It is recommended that these lifejackets are always carried on board

• Oversized lifejackets should be clearly marked with the word “LARGE”.
• The place of storage should be clearly indicated.
• The lifejackets should be readily available in case of emergency.
• The procedure for handling, storage and distribution should be reflected in the
Safety Management System.

4. Crew awareness

4.1. The crew of the vessel should be familiar with the personal life-saving appliance
provided on board the vessel and trained to assist passengers in the correct donning
and use of such items.

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More Information

Shipping Safety Branch

Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Bay 2/11
Spring Place
105 Commercial Road
Southampton
SO15 1EG

Tel : +44 (0) 23 8032 9120

Fax : +44 (0) 23 8032 9251
e-mail: [email protected])

General Inquiries: 24 Hour Infoline

[email protected]
0870 600 6505

MCA Website Address: www.mcga.gov.uk

File Ref: MS 003/001/0361

Published: August 2006

© Crown Copyright 2006

Safer Lives, Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas

Printed on material containing minimum 75% post-consumer waste paper

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Annex to MGN 329 Lifejackets " Infant and Oversized Passengers"
Amendments to the 1974 SOLAS Convention

Chapter III Life-Saving Appliances and Arrangements

Regulation 7 . Personal life-saving appliances

In paragraph 2.1, the following new subparagraphs .1 and .2 are inserted:

.1 for passenger ships on voyages less than 24 h, a number of infant lifejackets equal to at
least 2.5% of the number of passengers on board shall be provided;
.2 for passenger ships on voyages 24 h or greater, infant lifejackets shall be provided for each
infant on board;. and the existing subparagraphs .1 and .2 are renumbered as subparagraphs
.3 and .4.

The following new subparagraph .5 is inserted after the renumbered subparagraph .4 of

paragraph 2.1:
.5 if the adult lifejackets provided are not designed to fit persons with a chest girth of up to
1,750 mm, a sufficient number of suitable accessories shall be available on board to allow
them to be secured to such persons..

Amendments to the International Life-Saving Appliance (LSA) Code

Chapter II Personal Life-Saving Appliances

The existing section 2.2 is replaced by the following:

2.2 Lifejackets

2.2.1 General requirements for lifejackets

2.2.1.1 A lifejacket shall not sustain burning or continue melting after being totally enveloped in
a fire for a period of 2 s.

2.2.1.2 Lifejackets shall be provided in three sizes in accordance with table 2.1. If a lifejacket
fully complies with the requirements of two adjacent size ranges, it may be marked with both
size ranges, but the specified ranges shall not be divided. Lifejackets shall be marked by either
weight or height, or by both weight and height, according to table 2.1.

Table 2.1 . Lifejacket sizing criteria

Lifejacket marking Infant Child
Adult
User’s size:
15 or more but less
Weight (kg) less than 15 43 or more
than 43
100 or more but
Height (cm) less than 100 155 or more
less than 155

2.2.1.3 If an adult lifejacket is not designed to fit persons weighing up to 140 kg and with a
chest girth of 1,750 mm, suitable accessories shall be available to allow it to be secured to
such persons.

2.2.1.4 The in-water performance of a lifejacket shall be evaluated by comparison to the

performance of a suitable size standard reference lifejacket, i.e. reference test device (RTD)
complying with the recommendations of the Organization1.

1
Refer to the Revised Recommendation on testing of life-saving appliances (resolution MSC.81(70), as amended
by resolution MSC.200(80)).

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2.2.1.5 An adult lifejacket shall be so constructed that:
.1 at least 75% of persons who are completely unfamiliar with the lifejacket can correctly don it
within a period of 1 min without assistance, guidance or prior demonstration; .
2 after demonstration, all persons can correctly don it within a period of 1 min without
assistance;
.3 it is clearly capable of being worn in only one way or inside-out and, if donned incorrectly, it
is not injurious to the wearer;
.4 the method of securing the lifejacket to the wearer has quick and positive means of closure
that do not require tying of knots;
.5 it is comfortable to wear; and
.6 it allows the wearer to jump into the water from a height of at least 4.5 m while holding on to
the lifejacket, and from a height of at least 1m with arms held overhead, without injury and
without dislodging or damaging the lifejacket or its attachments.

2.2.1.6 When tested according to the recommendations of the Organization on at least 12

persons, adult lifejackets shall have sufficient buoyancy and stability in calm fresh water to:
.1 lift the mouth of exhausted or unconscious persons by an average height of not less than
the average provided by the adult RTD;
.2 turn the body of unconscious, face-down persons in the water to a position where the mouth
is clear of the water in an average time not exceeding that of the RTD, with the number of
persons not turned by the lifejacket no greater than that of the RTD;
.3 incline the body backwards from the vertical position for an average torso angle of not less
than that of the RTD minus 5°;
.4 lift the head above horizontal for an average faceplane angle of not less than that of the
RTD minus 5°; and
.5 return the wearer to a stable face-up position after being destabilized when floating in the
flexed foetal position.2

2.2.1.7 An adult lifejacket shall allow the person wearing it to swim a short distance and to
board a survival craft.

2.2.1.8 An infant or child lifejacket shall perform the same as an adult lifejacket except as
follows:
.1 donning assistance is permitted for small children and infants;
.2 the appropriate child or infant RTD shall be used in place of the adult RTD; and
.3 assistance may be given to board a survival craft, but wearer mobility shall not be reduced
to any greater extent than by the appropriate size RTD.

2.2.1.9 With the exception of freeboard and self-righting performance, the requirements for
infant lifejackets may be relaxed, if necessary, in order to:
.1 facilitate the rescue of the infant by a caretaker;
.2 allow the infant to be fastened to a caretaker and contribute to keeping the infant close to
the caretaker;
.3 keep the infant dry, with free respiratory passages;
.4 protect the infant against bumps and jolts during evacuation; and
.5 allow a caretaker to monitor and control heat loss by the infant.

2.2.1.10 In addition to the markings required by paragraph 1.2.2.9, an infant or child lifejacket
shall be marked with:
.1 the size range in accordance with paragraph 2.2.1.2; and

2
Refer to the illustration on page 11 of the IMO Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival and to the Revised
Recommendation on testing of life-saving appliances (resolution MSC.81(70), as amended by resolution
MSC.200(80)).

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.2 an .infant. or .child. symbol as shown in the .infant’s lifejacket. or .child’s lifejacket. symbol
adopted by the Organization3.

2.2.1.11 A lifejacket shall have buoyancy which is not reduced by more than 5% after 24 h
submersion in fresh water.

2.2.1.12 The buoyancy of a lifejacket shall not depend on the use of loose granulated
materials.

2.2.1.13 Each lifejacket shall be provided with means of securing a lifejacket light as specified
in paragraph 2.2.3 such that it shall be capable of complying with paragraphs 2.2.1.4.6 and
2.2.3.1.3.

2.2.1.14 Each lifejacket shall be fitted with a whistle firmly secured by a lanyard.

2.2.1.15 Lifejacket lights and whistles shall be selected and secured to the lifejacket in such a
way that their performance in combination is not degraded.

2.2.1.16 A lifejacket shall be provided with a releasable buoyant means to secure it to a

lifejacket worn by another person in the water.

2.2.1.17 A lifejacket shall be provided with a suitable means to allow a rescuer to lift the
wearer from the water into a survival craft or rescue boat.

2.2.2 Inflatable lifejackets

A lifejacket which depends on inflation for buoyancy shall have not less than two
separate compartments, shall comply with the requirements of paragraph 2.2.1 and shall:
.1 inflate automatically upon immersion, be provided with a device to permit inflation by a
single manual motion and be capable of having each chamber inflated by mouth;
.2 in the event of loss of buoyancy in any one compartment be capable of complying with the
requirements of paragraphs 2.2.1.5, 2.2.1.6 and 2.2.1.7; and
.3 comply with the requirements of paragraph 2.2.1.11 after inflation by means of the
automatic mechanism.

3
Refer to Symbols related to life-saving appliances and arrangements, adopted by the Organization by resolution
A.760(18), as may be amended.

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