What is a level 50s life jacket?

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Level 50 lifejackets (Type 2)
Level 50S lifejackets (Type 3)

With the variety of water sports and activities now available to you, governments and manufacturers have determined an appropriate type for the activity. Governments have in all cases either legislated or regulated the particular type to accommodate the activity which now range from the traditional recreational fisherman, off-shore professional sailor to the newest of water sports – sailboard riders. In recent times, debut is happening around the need for board surfers and rock fisherman to wear a lifejacket.

Workplace lifejackets are in a category of their own requiring specialist design and advice. These lifejackets are normally sourced from retailers providing a range of marine industrial safety equipment from life rafts to distress flares.

The new Australian Standard for Personal Flotation Devices (PFD) – AS 4758 was introduced into recreational boat legislation nationally on 1 July 2010. Australian Standards AS4758

PFDs made to AS 4758 will display these new levels:

Level 150 – a new level of PFD and suitable for offshore use
Level 100 – similiar to PFD Type 1 and the minimum requirement for offshore use
Level 50 – similiar to PFD Type 2
Level 50S (Special Purpose) – similiar to PFD Type 3

Prior to AS 4758 being approved by the National Marine Safety Committee for introduction into the recreational boat safety equipment regulations nationally by 1 July 2010, PFDs were commonly advertised and promoted by retailers as:

PFD Type 1 – “PFD1”
PFD Type 2 – “PFD2”
PFD Type 3 – “PFD3”

One of the approved standards for the types of lifejacket are listed below.

Personal flotation device Type 1

A PFD that complies with:

Australian Standard AS 1512—1996, Personal flotation devices—Type 1 or any previous version of that Standard, or
one of the following recognised standards for personal flotation devices, or types of personal flotation devices, that has been approved by a recognised appraiser:
1. European Standard EN 399-1993Lifejackets – 275N,
2. European Standard EN 396-1993Lifejackets – 150N,
3. European Standard EN 395-1993Lifejackets – 100N,
4. Canadian General Standards CAN/CGSB-65.11-M88 (for adults) and CAN/CGSB-65.15-M88Personal Flotation Devices for children,
5. Underwriters Laboratories Standards UL 1180 – Fully inflatable recreational personal flotation devices,
6. New Zealand Standards NZ5823:2001 Type 401, or
any standard or specifications approved by the Maritime Authority.In this Schedule, recognised appraiser means:
1. a certifying body accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS–ANZ), or
2. a laboratory with National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accreditation, or
3. a notified body in accordance with the European Union Maritime Equipment Directive, Module B (MED–B), or
4. a body approved by the Maritime Authority.

Personal flotation device Type 2

A PFD that complies with:

Australian Standard AS 1499—1996, Personal flotation devices—Type 2 or any previous version of that Standard, or
European Standard EN 393-1993Lifejackets – 50N, or
any standard or specifications approved by the Maritime Authority.

Personal flotation device Type 3

A PFD that complies with:

Australian Standard AS 2260—1996, Personal flotation devices—Type 3 or any previous version of that Standard, or
European Standard EN 393-1993Lifejackets – 50N, or
any standard or specifications approved by the Maritime Authority.

Modern lifejackets cater for just about every boating situation, from kayaking or kite surfing in sheltered waters to offshore fishing or sailing on the open sea. With a wide range of styles and colours available, there's a lifejacket to suit your specific needs. So be safe and wear yours.

In this short video, Andrew Hart and Nick Duigan from popular Australian TV fishing series Hook, Line & Sinker take a look at the wide range of lifejackets available now, for all ages and activities. View the transcript

This category includes lifejackets where the nominal buoyancy level exceeds 100 Newtons. Many coastal jackets have levels of 150N or above.

Level 100 Plus lifejackets provide a high level of buoyancy and are designed to turn the wearer onto their back and keep them in a safe floating position. They usually have a collar to support the back of the head. They are highly visible, with bright colouring and retro-reflective patches. They often have additional safety features such as lights and whistles.

These lifejackets may provide buoyancy by an inflatable bladder, or by foam filled panels.

Activities

The Level 100 Plus lifejackets are not usually considered suitable for activities where the wearer may hit the water at speed. Wearers should be aware that a lifejacket will suddenly try to ‘ride up’ when the person enters the water.

For this reason, it is important for a lifejacket to be a good fit and crotch straps are strongly recommended. A badly fitted lifejacket may become dislodged by going over the wearer’s head. All straps should be secure to ensure the optimum performance of your lifejacket.

Level 50 lifejackets (Type 2)

Level 50 lifejackets provide less buoyancy than the Level 100 Plus jackets. They are not designed to turn the wearer onto their back, but they will keep the person afloat and have high visibility features.

Activities

The Level 50 lifejackets are generally designed for specialised activities such as water skiing and operating personal watercraft, where there is a high probability that the wearer may impact with the water at speed.

They also allow for a greater degree of activity and flexibility than foam-filled Level 100 Plus jackets and so are used in kayaking and canoeing.

Level 50S lifejackets (Type 3)

These have similar characteristics to the Level 50 Lifejackets, except they do not have the high visibility features. They are often black or dark in colour.

Activities

The Level 50S lifejackets are generally only suitable if assistance is close at hand and there is unlikely to be a need to search for the wearer.