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LJ 14 Work with Manufacturers to Ensure Access to Comfortable, Affordable Life Jackets

Key area

Life Jackets

Work with manufacturers to ensure that affordable and comfortable life jackets are available for both individual and bulk purchases.

Spectrum level: Changing Organizational Practices

Evidence level: Medium

Implementation levels: Community National

Rationale:

Discomfort is often cited as a barrier to wearing a personal flotation device (PFD). Less bulky (i.e., inflatable) options exist but are expensive. It stands to reason that if more comfortable flotation devices could be purchased at lower prices, more people (organizations, recreational sites, etc.) would obtain them. These efforts should enable increased wear, which has been associated with decreased drownings in a boating context.

Anticipated Impact:

After implementing this recommendation, you can expect to experience the following outcomes:

  • Developing and market new life jackets and flotation aids that meet safety standards and requirements and are more comfortable, affordable, and appealing leads to increased wear and decreased drowning.

Evidence:

A literature review found that high life jacket costs, design issues around comfort, fashion-sense, and shelf-life all significantly influenced life jacket usage. Additionally, discomfort and cost are frequently associated with reduced life jacket wear, and research has found that, among adaptive testers, life jackets need safety and wearability improvements. Among those working in a capacity where life jackets should be worn, there is evidence that workers commonly object to wearing life jackets because they are bulky and uncomfortable. Water safety experts believe that the "abandon ship life preserver", which is very similar to the belt pack PFDs, could be a life jacket solution that allows for use in high heat "tropical" climates and confined spaces for those in the U.S. Coast Guard.

There is also evidence that boaters will not wear life jackets for a several reasons, including that they are:

  • Uncomfortable
  • Restrictive
  • Unfashionable
  • Not specific to use case
  • Expensive

Overall, inflatables seemed to be a more acceptable option for boaters not wearing life jackets, however, the cost of inflatables was still identified as an issue. Research also shows, that among populations who wear life jackets regularly, having access to life jackets that are easy to wear and are comfortable/less bulky are not identified as motivators. Public awareness campaigns should collaborate with boating companies to creatively promote the use of life jackets without impeding the goal of recreational boating: to recreate.

Evidence Sources:

Cox K.L., Bhaumik S., Gupta M., & Jagnoor J. (2022). Facilitators and barriers of life jacket use for drowning prevention: Qualitative evidence synthesis. Journal of Safety Research, Feb(80), 135-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2021.11.010

Peden A., Demant D. Hagger M. & Hamilton K. (2018). Personal, social, and environmental factors associated with lifejacket wear in adults and children: A systematic literature review. PLoS One, 13(5), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196421

Phillips M.T., Spitzer N., Chow W., & Mangione T.W. (2019) Risk factors associated with life jacket wear among adult canoeists and kayakers in the United States, 1999-2017. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 26(2),176-184. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457300.2019.1576207

C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic & Regatta C. (2018). Life jacket and rescue study of boaters with adaptive needs. https://www.ussailing.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/LifeJacketandRescueStudy.pdf United States Coast Guard. (2017). Boat crew handbook – Rescue & survival procedures. BCH16114.2.

Weil R., Pinto K., Lincoln J., Hall-Arber M., & Sorensen J. (2016). The use of personal flotation devices in the Northeast lobster fishing industry: An examination of the decision-making process. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 59(1), 73-80. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22537

National Safe Boating Council. (2021). Safe boating campaign 2021 Resource Kit. https://safeboatingcampaign.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/nsbc-safe-boating-campaign-resource-kit-02262021.pdf

Quistberg D.A., Quan L., Ebel B.E., Bennett E.E., & Mueller B.A. (2014). Barriers to life jacket use among adult recreational boaters. Injury Prevention, 20(4), 244-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2013-040973

High Risk Populations Addressed:

The population whose risk of drowning decreases the most with the implementation of this recommendation:

  • Adults, particularly Men
  • Individuals performing demanding physical tasks
  • Individuals on open water (i.e., lakes and rivers)
  • Individuals with health conditions
  • Individuals with disabilities

Evaluation Metrics:

Indicators of long-term impact:

  • Decline in the average price of life jackets
  • Increase in life jacket use rates
  • Decline in drowning rates

Indicators of intermediate impact:

  • New types of life jackets (i.e., less bulky, less restrictive, more appealing, lower cost) are developed and approved for sale
  • Consumer testing for comfort, perceived cost acceptability, and appeal is conducted
  • Increase in the number of consumers reporting that life jackets are comfortable, affordable and appealing

Indicators of initial impact:

  • Improved life jacket designs are readily available for purchase, both online and in major retail outlets

Implementation:

Consider the following to ensure successful implementation:

  • Create life jackets for a wider range of body types and user abilities.
  • Fund research and development in effective flotation devices for people not in vessels.
  • Sponsor design competitions for engineering students to create more comfortable/affordable life jackets, and pitch winning designs to entrepreneurs/investors.
  • Encourage the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to use grant funds to bolster innovation among manufacturers.
  • Establish relationships between manufacturers and local sporting associations and teams to provide weeks where they get discounts on purchasing equipment if they purchase at least one life jacket.
  • Include recommendations for inclusion of historically excluded, underserved, and adapted populations.
  • Create awareness campaigns that target parents currently using inadequate flotation devices for young children (which might encourage those manufacturers to increase the quality and clarify the uses of their products).
  • Create life jackets that are comfortable, affordable, stylish, and appealing.
  • Work with manufacturers on what is both stylish and safe.
  • Design life jackets with different colors of straps so they are easier to buckle for kids or people unfamiliar with donning them.
  • Build in incentives for manufacturers to meet the needs of an expanded customer base that is hypothetical at this point.

Challenges to Implementation:

When implementing this recommendation, you might encounter challenges related to the following factors:

  • There are significant barriers to life jacket use that include issues of comfort and ease of use, as well as social acceptability of life jackets
  • The current USCG approval process is complicated, costly and time-consuming and may be a barrier to bringing new life jacket designs to market.
  • There is currently no alternative approval and certification process (or certifying body) outside the USCG to review flotation devices for swimmers.
  • Cost-driven manufacturers may not be motivated to develop lower-cost flotation devices.
  • Development of life jackets and stocking products tailored to small segments of the life jacket market may not be profitable for manufacturers.
  • Interested parties may have liability concerns about entering this arena.

Potential Facilitators:

The following factors might facilitate the implementation of this recommendation:

  • Advocates of water safety can endorse fewer barriers to use.
  • The European Union makes a broader range of approved flotation devices available to consumers that can be reviewed as a model for development and production in the U.S.
  • People who work or recreate on the water would likely appreciate more options for doing so safely (as might their employers, insurers, and loved ones).
  • An expanded customer base, or larger market share, might reward innovative entrepreneurs who take the lead on this effort.
  • Partnering with the Life Jacket Association, National Safe Boating Council, and USCG would be of benefit. For example, the USCG has sponsored design contests in the past.

GAP Recommendation:

None