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 32DECEMBER 2016 • FOGHORN 29 SAFETYMATTERS that could diminish the perfor- mance of the PFD including:  • Metal or plastic hardware used to secure the PFD on the wearer that is broken, deformed, or weakened by corrosion; • Webbings or straps used to secure the PFD on the wearer that are ripped, torn, or which have become separated from an attachment point on the PFD; • Any other rotted or deteriorated structural component that fails when tugged; • No rips, tears, or open seams in fabric or coatings that are large enough to allow the loss of buoyant material; • Buoyant material that has become hardened, non-resilient, perma- nently compressed, waterlogged, oil-soaked, or which shows evidence of fungus or mildew is un- acceptable; or • Buoyant material must be securely held in position. Inspection Determining serviceable condition requires the PFDs to be removed from their stowage location and physical- ly examined. Look for deterioration as noted above. Fabric discoloration can be due to exposure (sun, heat, moisture, etc.) and as a result the material can tear easily. Coast Guard marine inspectors are taught to spe- cifically look for this as well a strap integrity. Excessive physical force is not required to find a bad PFD. It is always a good idea to check PFDs before your Coast Guard inspection. Weeding out unserviceable PFDs saves inspection time and builds cred- ibility with your inspector. A note about kapok - If your PFD uses bags of kapok, gently squeeze the bag to check for air leaks. If it leaks, the PFD must be destroyed. When kapok gets wet inside the bag, it can get stiff or waterlogged and can lose its buoyancy. The only thing worse than not wearing a lifejacket is wearing one without enough buoyancy. According to the regulations, PFDs need to be marked with the vessel’s name and retroreflective material. Make sure the name is legible and the retroreflective material is not faded or missing. Type I PFDs require 400 cm2 (62 in2 ) of retroreflective material. Safety Alert In July 2015 the Coast Guard issued a Safety Alert regarding the discovery of deteriorated unicellular foam PFDs. See August 2016 FOGHORN. As a result, the Coast Guard strongly recommended that vessel owners and operators inspect their Type I unicellu- lar plastic foam lifejackets for potential indications of SAFETY, CONTINUED ON PAGE 30