Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36AUGUST 2016 • FOGHORN 31 NEWSWIRE HSC CODE ANNEX 10 ISO 9001:2008 The most versatile, safe, and light weight seats are now... On July 20, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a safety alert  (07-16) to remind vessel operators to routinely inspect their lifejackets to ensure they are suitable for service. Recently, Coast Guard inspec- tors in Key West, FL discovered two vessels that had over 60 lifejackets that had to be destroyed because the unicellular foam buoyant material within the nylon outer shell had sig- nificantly degraded, broke apart, and crumbled to dust. The lifejackets had been properly stored, kept dry, and not under direct sunlight; however, the location was very hot at times. The nine-year-old lifejackets were the Type 1, 160RT model distributed by the now-defunct The Safeguard Corporation of Covington, KY and were manufactured in China. The Coast Guard strongly rec- ommends that vessel owners and operators inspect their Type 1 unicellu- lar plastic foam lifejackets for potential indications of failure or degradation, specifically:  Compression: The lifejacket may be compressed from many years of stowage. Loss of resiliency: The lifejacket is excessively hard, stiff or its foam is brittle. Normally after compressing the lifejacket to about half its initial thickness, the foam should expand to its original dimension in a short period of time. Shrinkage: A physical reduction in size may be indicated by “wrinkling” of the coating on vinyl-dipped type or by a loose fitting shell on a fabric-covered lifejacket. Manufacturer: While the potential for problems applies to all older PFDs, those affiliated with The Safeguard Corporation should be closely examined. Any questions or comments regarding lifejackets should be sent to the Coast Guard at: HQS-PF-fldr-CG- INV@uscg.mil. n Coast Guard Reminds Operators to Inspect Lifejackets Routinely for Buoyancy