Lifejackets or just jackets? Seaworthiness of lifejackets sold at landing sites of Lake Albert, Uganda.

Abstract

Objectives. Upon immersion in water, a cascade of human physiological responses is evoked, which may result in drowning death. Although lifejackets are over 80% effective in preventing drowning, many people in lakeside fishing communities in Uganda shy away from wearing them because of active distrust in the quality of the lifejackets on the local market. No study has determined the veracity of these claims. This study determined the seaworthiness of lifejackets sold at landing sites of Lake Albert, Uganda. Methods. Using a within-person repeated assessment design, we tested 22 new lifejacket samples obtained from landing sites of Lake Albert, Uganda. We conducted water entry, righting, floatation stability and minimum buoyancy performance tests. Results. All the lifejacket samples failed the minimum buoyancy functional requirements test; the average buoyancy was 80 N (SD 13). Only 4% of the lifejackets passed the righting test within 5 s. For floatation stability, 45% of the lifejackets sank earlier than 48 h of placement in water and also failed water entry tests by getting dislodged from the wearer. Conclusion. The lifejackets sold at the landing sites of Lake Albert do not meet minimum seaworthiness functional requirements. The government should regulate the quality of lifejackets on the local market.