Keep safety equipment where you can reach it ! MSQ

Recent safety equipment checks by Maritime Safety Queensland compliance officers has found that some boaties have better access to their fishing tackle and eskies than to their life jackets and other safety gear. Emergencies happen quickly on the water, so it is vitally important to the safety of all on board to ensure easy access to safety equipment. That’s why Maritime Safety Queensland has new rules which came in from January 1 this year requiring owners and masters of vessels to make sure they give each person on board useful information about where all the safety equipment is kept and how to get to it in a hurry. This information can be given to passengers verbally, in a demonstration or provided on written signs. When it comes to life jackets they must be clearly visible to everyone on board. If they’re stowed where they can’t be seen then they must be kept in a readily accessible place which is clearly indicated by the word ‘Life jackets’ written in red letters on a white background or white letters on a red background. Maritime Safety Queensland not only requires boaties to carry the right safety equipment but also wants to make sure everyone on board can find it quickly in an emergency. Surviving a boating incident can come down to whether people know where safety equipment is kept and being able to get to it in a hurry. Boaties have been lost from vessels that have all the equipment on board simply because they were not able to access it in time. Maritime Safety Queensland enforces these requirements and boaties should not be surprised to be issued with a fine if they’re out on the water with life jackets buried under cargo or if they have passengers who don’t know where safety equipment such as an EPIRB are kept. Safety equipment can’t save your life if you can’t get to it in time. Always remember, “You’re the skipper, you’re responsible”. For more information about safety equipment go to the Maritime Safety Queensland website www.msq.qld.gov.au.