EN ISO 12402-1:2005

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2005
2VHEQLSODYDOQLSULSRPRþNL±GHO5HãLOQLMRSLþL]DPRUVNHODGMH±9DUQRVWQH
]DKWHYH,62
Personal flotation devices - Part 1: Lifejackets for seagoing ships - Safety requirements
(ISO 12402-1:2005)
Persönliche Auftriebsmittel - Teil 1: Rettungswesten für seegehende Schiffe -
Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen (ISO 12402-1:2005)
Equipements individuels de flottabilité - Partie 1: Gilets de sauvetage pour navires de
haute mer - Exigences de sécurité (ISO 12402-1:2005)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 12402-1:2005
ICS:
13.340.70 5HãLOQLMRSLþLY]JRQVND Lifejackets, buoyancy aids
SRPDJDODLQSODYDMRþL and floating devices
SULSRPRþNL
47.040 Pomorska plovila Seagoing vessels
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN ISO 12402-1
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
September 2005
ICS 13.340.10
English Version
Personal flotation devices - Part 1: Lifejackets for seagoing
ships - Safety requirements (ISO 12402-1:2005)
Equipements individuels de flottabilité - Partie 1: Gilets de Persönliche Auftriebsmittel - Teil 1: Rettungswesten für
sauvetage pour navires de haute mer - Exigences de seegehende Schiffe - Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen
sécurité (ISO 12402-1:2005) (ISO 12402-1:2005)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 15 July 2005.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European
Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national
standards may be obtained on application to the Central Secretariat or to any CEN member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the Central Secretariat has the same status as the official
versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36  B-1050 Brussels
© 2005 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 12402-1:2005: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Foreword
This document (EN ISO 12402-1:2005) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 162 "Protective
clothing including hand and arm protection and lifejackets", the secretariat of which is held by DIN, in
collaboration with Technical Committee ISO/TC 188 " Small craft".

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical
text or by endorsement, at the latest by March 2006, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at
the latest by March 2006.
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following
countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
and United Kingdom.
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 12402-1
First edition
2005-09-01
Personal flotation devices —
Part 1:
Lifejackets for seagoing ships —
Safety requirements
Équipements individuels de flottabilité —
Partie 1: Gilets de sauvetage pour navires de haute mer — Exigences
de sécurité
Reference number
ISO 12402-1:2005(E)
©
ISO 2005
ISO 12402-1:2005(E)
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ii © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

ISO 12402-1:2005(E)
Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope.1
2 Normative references.1
3 Terms and definitions .2
4 Classification.3
4.1 Classes.3
4.2 Performance levels.4
5 Requirements.5
5.1 General.5
5.2 Combination of lifejackets and accessories.5
5.3 Types of buoyancy .6
5.4 Conspicuousness.7
5.5 Strength.8
5.6 Performance.8
5.7 Multi-chamber buoyancy systems.10
6 Marking.10
6.1 General.10
6.2 Information on the lifejacket.10
6.3 Additional information on devices to be used for crew and other trained personnel.10
7 Information supplied by the manufacturer .11
8 Information for the operator .11
Bibliography .13

ISO 12402-1:2005(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has
been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 12402-1 was prepared by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee
CEN/TC 162, Protective clothing including hand and arm protection and lifejackets, in collaboration with
Technical Committee ISO/TC 188, Small craft, in accordance with the Agreement on technical cooperation
between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
ISO 12402 consists of the following parts, under the general title Personal flotation devices:
 Part 1: Lifejackets for seagoing ships — Safety requirements
 Part 2: Lifejackets, performance level 275 — Safety requirements
 Part 3: Lifejackets, performance level 150 — Safety requirements
 Part 4: Lifejackets, performance level 100 — Safety requirements
 Part 5: Buoyancy aids (level 50) — Safety requirements
 Part 6: Special purpose lifejackets and buoyancy aids — Safety requirements and additional test methods
 Part 7: Materials and components — Safety requirements and test methods
 Part 8: Accessories — Safety requirements and test methods
 Part 9: Test methods
 Part 10: Selection and application of flotation devices and other relevant devices
iv © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

ISO 12402-1:2005(E)
Introduction
ISO 12402 has been prepared to give guidance on the design and application of personal flotation devices
(hereafter referred to as PFDs) for persons engaged in activities, whether in relation to their work or their
leisure, in or near water. PFDs manufactured, selected, and maintained to this standard should give a
reasonable assurance of safety from drowning to a person who is immersed in water.
Requirements for lifejackets on large, commercial seagoing ships are regulated by the International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). ISO 12402-1
addresses lifejackets for seagoing ships.
ISO 12402 allows for the buoyancy of a PFD to be provided by a wide variety of materials or designs, some of
which may require preparation before entering the water (e.g. inflation of chambers by gas from a cylinder or
blown in orally). However, PFDs can be divided into the following two main classes:
 those which provide face up in-water support to the user regardless of physical conditions (lifejackets),
and
 those which require the user to make swimming and other postural movements to position the user with
the face out of the water (buoyancy aids).
Within these main two classes there are a number of levels of support, types of buoyancy, activation methods
for inflatable devices, and auxiliary items (such as location aids), all of which will affect the user‘s probability of
survival. Within the different types of buoyancy allowed, inflatable PFDs either provide full buoyancy without
any user intervention other than arming (i.e. PFDs inflated by a fully automatic method) or require the user to
initiate the inflation. Hybrid PFDs always provide some buoyancy but rely on the same methods as inflatable
PFDs to achieve full buoyancy. With inherently buoyant PFDs, the user only needs to put the PFD on to
achieve the performance of its class.
PFDs that do not require intervention (automatically operating PFDs) are suited to activities where persons
are likely to enter the water unexpectedly; whereas PFDs requiring intervention (e.g. manually inflated PFDs)
are only suitable for use if the user believes there will be sufficient time to produce full buoyancy, or help is
close at hand. In every circumstance, the user should ensure that the operation of the PFD is suited to the
specific application. The conformity of a PFD to this part of ISO 12402 does not imply that it is suitable for all
circumstances. The relative amount of required inspection and maintenance is another factor of paramount
importance in the choice and application of specific PFDs.
ISO 12402 is intended to serve as a guide to manufacturers, purchasers, and users of such safety equipment
in ensuring that the equipment provides an effective standard of performance in use. Equally essential is the
need for the designer to encourage the wearing of the equipment by making it comfortable and attractive for
continuous wear on or near water, rather than for it to be stored in a locker for emergency use. Throwable
devices and flotation cushions are not covered by this part of ISO 12402. The primary function of a PFD is to
support the user in reasonable safety in the water. Within the two classes, alternative attributes make some
PFDs better suited to some circumstances than others or make them easier to use and care for than others.
Important alternatives allowed by ISO 12402 are the following:
 to provide higher levels of support (levels 100, 150, or 275) that generally float the user with greater water
clearance, enabling the user’s efforts to be expended in recovery rather than avoiding waves; or to
provide lighter or less bulky PFDs (levels 50 to 100);
 to provide the kinds of flotation (inherently buoyant foam, hybrid, and inflatable) that will accommodate
the sometimes conflicting needs of reliability and durability, in-water performance, and continuous wear;
ISO 12402-1:2005(E)
 to provide self-acting (inherently buoyant or automatically inflated) PFDs that float users without any
intervention on their part, except in initially donning the PFD (and regular inspection and rearming of
inflatable types), or to provide user control of the inflatable PFD’s buoyancy by manual and oral operation;
and
 to assist in detection (location aids) and recovery of the user.
PFDs provide various degrees of buoyancy in garments that are light in weight and only as bulky and
restrictive as needed for their intended use. They will need to be secure when worn, in order to provide
positive support in the water and to allow the user to swim or actively assist herself/himself or others. The PFD
selected shall ensure that the user is supported with the mouth and nose clear of the water under the
expected conditions of use and the user’s ability to assist.
Under certain conditions (such as rough water and waves), the use of watertight and multilayer clothing, which
provide (intentionally or otherwise) additional buoyancy, or the use of equipment with additional weight (such
as tool belts) will likely alter the performance of the PFD. Users, owners and employers need to ensure that
this is taken into account when selecting a PFD. Similarly, PFDs may not perform as well in extremes of
temperature, although fully approved under this part of ISO 12402. PFDs may also be affected by other
conditions of use, such as chemical exposure and welding, and may require additional protection to meet the
specific requirements of use. If the user intends taking a PFD into such conditions, she/he has to be assured
that the PFD will not be adversely affected. This part of ISO 12402 also allows a PFD to be an integral part of
a safety harness designed to conform to ISO 12401, or an integral part of a garment with other uses, for
example to provide thermal protection during immersion, in which case the complete assembly as used is
required to conform to this part of ISO 12402.
In compiling the attributes required of a PFD, consideration has also been given to the potential length of
service that the user might expect. Whilst a PFD needs to be of substantial construction and material, its
potential length of service often depends on the conditions of use and storage, which are the responsibility of
the owner, user and/or employer. Furthermore, whilst the performance tests included are believed to assess
relevant aspects of performance in real-life use, they do not accurately simulate all conditions of this. For
example, the fact that a device passes the self-righting tests in swimming attire, as described herein, does not
guarantee that it will self-right an unconscious user wearing waterproof clothing; neither can it be expected to
completely protect the airway of an unconscious person in rough water. Waterproof clothing can trap air and
further impede the self-righting action of a lifejacket.
It is essential that owners, users and employers choose those PFDs that meet the correct standards for the
circumstances in which they will be used. Manufacturers and those selling PFDs have to make clear to
prospective purchasers the product properties, alternative choices and the limitations to normal use, prior to
the purchase.
Similarly, those framing legislation regarding the use of these garments should consider carefully which class
and performance levels are most appropriate for the foreseeable conditions of use, allowing for the higher risk
circumstances. These higher risk circumstances should account for the highest probabilities of occurrence of
accidental immersion and the expected consequences in such emergencies. More information on the
selection and application is given in ISO 12402-10.

vi © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 12402-1:2005(E)

Personal flotation devices —
Part 1:
Lifejackets for seagoing ships — Safety requirements
1 Scope
This part of ISO 12402 specifies the safety requirements for lifejackets intended for use on seagoing ships
with regard to the technical provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
NOTE This part of ISO 12402 also takes account of Maritime Safety Committee Resolutions MSC.48 (66) and
MSC.81 (70) so far as they are applicable to lifejackets.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 12402-4, Personal flotation devices — Part 4: Lifejackets, performance level 100 — Safety requirements
ISO 12402-7, Personal flotation devices — Part 7: Materials and components — Safety requirements and test
1)
methods
1)
ISO 12402-8, Personal flotation devices — Part 8: Accessories — Safety requirements and test methods
1)
ISO 12402-9, Personal flotation devices — Part 9: Test methods
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, as amended, International Maritime
2)
Organization
IMO Resolution A.658 (16), Use and fitting of retro-reflective materials on life-saving appliances, International
Maritime Organization
1) To be published.
2) IMO is an institution with domicile in London issuing regulations which are then published as laws by its Member
States.
ISO 12402-1:2005(E)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
personal flotation device
PFD
garment or device which, when correctly worn and used in water, will provide the user with a specific amount
of buoyancy which will increase the likelihood of survival
3.2
inherently buoyant material
material which is permanently less dense than water
3.3
self-acting PFD
PFD in which buoyancy is provided by permanent means (inherently buoyant material) or by suitable means
(gas inflation) effected by a system which automatically activates upon immersion and which, except for the
inspection and rearming of inflatable types, when correctly donned requires no further action by the user
3.4
automatically operating PFD
PFD in which inflation is effected as a result of immersion without the user carrying out any action at the time
of immersion
3.5
manually inflated PFD
PFD in which inflation is effected as a result of the user operating a mechanism
3.6
orally inflated PFD
PFD inflated by mouth to produce buoyancy
3.7
PFD with secondary donning
PFD for which additional donning or adjustment is needed to place the PFD in its functioning position from the
position it is normally worn
NOTE Pouch-type devices are examples of the type of PFDs which usually require such additional positioning.
3.8
vest-type PFD
PFD covering the upper trunk of the user like a vest
3.9
yoke-type PFD
PFD worn around the back of the neck and secured by a waist strap
3.10
emergency light
device which emits light so as to increase the chances of a user being located
3.11
multi-chamber buoyancy system
system that divides the buoyancy provided by an inflatable lifejacket into two or more separate compartments,
such that if mechanical damage occurs to one, others can still operate and provide buoyancy so as to aid the
user when immersed
2 © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

ISO 12402-1:2005(E)
3.12
deck safety harness and safety line
device that allows a user to be securely attached to a strong point on a vessel or on shore, so as to prevent
him from falling into the water, or, if he does fall into the water, to prevent him from being separated from the
vessel or shore
3.13
buddy line
length of cord which can be tied or otherwise fixed to another person or to that person's PFD or other objects,
so as to keep a user in the vicinity of that person or object with a view to making location and thus rescue
easier
3.14
lifting loop
device which facilitates manual recovery of a person from water
3.15
sprayhood
cover brought or placed in front of the airways of a user in order to reduce or eliminate the splashing of water
from waves or the like onto the airways and thereby to promote the survival of the user in rough water
conditions
3.16
protective cover
cover that is normally in place over the functional elements of a PFD in order to protect them from physical
damage, or snagging on external objects.
NOTE 1 The protective cover may be designed to provide additional properties, i.e. to make the PFDs suitable for use
when the subject is exposed to additional hazards, e.g. significant abrasion, molten metal splash, flame and fire.
NOTE 2 The inflatable
...