Acceptance of Level 70 Buoyancy Aids Certified to UL12402-5 as Personal Flotation Devices

1 Policy Objective

• 1.1 To enhance safety by accepting new up to date standards allowing manufacturers to produce more innovative equipment that meets the approval requirements of both Canada and the United States.
• 1.2 To enhance safety by promoting constant wear of effective personal flotation devices by providing increased choices of more comfortable and wearable personal flotation devices for use on certain vessels in Canada.

2 Policy Statement

• 2.1 Level 70 buoyancy aids certified by UL LLC as per the standard UL 12402-5 and UL-12402-9 are recognized by Transport Canada as substitutes for the personal flotation devices currently required under the Small Vessel Regulations and the Fishing Vessel Safety Regulations.
• 2.2 A Level 70 buoyancy aid that is carried on board a vessel to meet the regulatory requirements and uses inflatable technology to achieve the minimum performance requirements of the standard:
  • 2.2.1 shall not be worn by a person less than 16 years of age;
  • 2.2.2 shall be worn by a person in an open vessel or, if the vessel is not open, shall be worn whenever the person is on deck or in the cockpit in order to be considered as meeting the requirements of the Regulations;
  • 2.2.3 shall not be carried to meet the Small Vessel Regulations on board a personal watercraft;
  • 2.2.4 shall not be used in whitewater.

3 Scope

• 3.1 This policy applies to those vessels and individuals subject to the carriage and wearing requirement of approved personal flotation devices in the Small Vessel Regulations and the Fishing Vessel Safety Regulations.

4 Authority

• 4.1 Section 4 of the Small Vessel Regulations and section 3.21 of the Fishing Vessel Safety Regulations both made under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001.
• 4.2 This policy falls under the overall administrative authority of the Director General, Marine Safety and Security, and the Marine Safety and Security Executive (MSSE) committee has approved this policy for general application.

5 Responsibility / further information

• 5.1 The Executive Director, Domestic Vessel Regulatory Oversight, is accountable for the development, approval and maintenance of this policy.
• 5.2 The Regional Directors, Marine Safety and Security, are responsible for implementation of this policy.
• 5.3 Comments or queries related to this policy and its application should be addressed to:
  Manager, Small and Fishing Vessels, Design and
  Equipment Standards and Boating Safety (AMSDS)
  330 Sparks Street
  Ottawa ON, K1A 0N5
  or, by email: marinesafety-securitemaritime@tc.gc.ca

6 Related Documents

• 6.1 TP 14475, Canadian Life Saving Appliance Standard
• 6.2 TP 14612, Procedures for Approval of Life-Saving Appliances and Fire Safety Systems, Equipment and Products
• 6.3 ANSI/CAN/UL-12402-5: Personal Flotation Devices – Part 5: Buoyancy Aids (level 50) – Safety Requirements
• 6.4 ANSI/CAN/UL-12402-9: Personal Flotation Devices – Part 9: Test Methods
• 6.5 TP 13585, Memorandum of Understanding between the United States Coast Guard and Transport Canada regarding Approval of Personal Lifesaving Appliances

7 Background

• 7.1 The personal flotation devices currently required under the Small Vessel Regulations and the Fishing Vessel Safety Regulations are those which, under the current Schedule of the Small Vessel Regulations, have to meet the following tests and standards:
  • 7.1.1 Canadian General Standards Board Standard CAN/CGSB-65.11-M88, Personal Flotation Devices;
  • 7.1.2 Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. Standard UL 1180, Fully Inflatable Recreational Personal Flotation Devices,  and the Canadian modifications set out in TP 14475 or;
  • 7.1.3 Canadian General Standards Board Standard CAN/CGSB-65.15-M88, Personal Flotation Devices for Children.
• 7.2 Transport Canada has actively supported the development of standards in addition to the above that promote more innovative products that boaters are more likely to wear. As part of this effort, Underwriters Laboratories published the new standard, ANSI/CAN/UL-12402-5 Personal Flotation Devices – Part 5: Buoyancy Aids (Level 50) – Safety Requirements in December of 2015.
• 7.3 UL 12402-5 provides options for both Level 70 and Level 50 buoyancy aids. Level 70 UL 12402-5 buoyancy aids provide increased options for design contributing to greater comfort and versatility while providing users a level of safety equivalent to that of PFDs certified to CAN/CGSB 65.11-M88 and CAN/CGSB 65.15-M88.
• 7.4 Level 50 buoyancy aids are not included in this policy.
• 7.5 This policy supports the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States Coast Guard and Transport Canada regarding Approval of Personal Lifesaving Appliances. 

8 Date of Application

• 8.1 This policy is effective on the date of publishing.

9 Date for Review or Expiry

• 9.1 This policy will be due for review in 5 years.

10 RDIMS Reference

• 10.1 The English version of this document is saved in RDIMS under reference number (12122279).  The applied naming convention is (PUBLICATION – TP 13585 – POLICY - ACCEPTANCE OF LEVEL 70 BUOYANCY AIDS CERTIFIED TO UL12402-5).
• 10.2 La version française du présent document est dans le SGDDI et porte le numéro de référence (13357523).  La règle d'affectation des noms est (PUBLICATION – TP 13585 – POLITIQUE - ACCEPTATION DES AIDES À LA FLOTTABILITÉ DE NIVEAU 70 HOMOLOGUÉES EN VERTU DE LA NORME UL12402-5).
• 10.3 This is the first approved and finalized revision of the English version of this document.

11 Keywords

• Personal flotation devices
• PFD
• UL 12402-5
• Lifejacket
• Buoyancy Aids