Wear Your Lifejacket to Work Day
We’re encouraging boaters and anglers to send a message about the importance of lifejackets, by wearing their lifejacket to work (or out and about) this Friday 20th May.
Friday is International Wear Your Lifejacket to Work Day, and participants will join thousands of people across the globe in raising awareness of the importance of wearing a lifejacket to ensure safe boating.
Wear Your Lifejacket To Work Day was initiated by the U.S. National Safe Boating Council, and has since expanded into a further 11 countries, including Australia.
On average there are 5 boating-related drowning deaths recorded each year in Western Australia, with the majority of people involved in these incidents not wearing a lifejacket at the time. Studies have found that wearing a lifejacket doubles a person’s chance of survival once immersed in water.
Royal Life Saving Society WA’s Senior Manager Community Health, Lauren Nimmo says “Lifejackets are not what they used to be. The new style lifejackets are slim-line, self-inflating, not restrictive and comfortable to wear for an entire day out on the water. We’re hoping these new lifejackets will help boaters to ensure themselves and their passengers are safe in the event of an emergency.”
The aim of International Wear a Lifejacket to Work Day is to show that lifejackets are now comfortable enough to wear all day at work, so there’s certainly no excuse for not wearing one out on the water.
In April this year Royal Life Saving Society WA launched the Old4New campaign, in partnership with the Department of Transport, encouraging boaters to trade in their old lifejacket for one of the new style modern lifejackets on the market at a discounted price.
The pilot campaign was a huge success, with stocks on the new lifejackets selling out in no time. We are now in talks with the Department of Transport to plan further lifejacket upgrade opportunities in the coming months.
Boaters interested in taking part in upcoming Old4New opportunities are urged to register their interest at the link below.
In the meantime we’d encourage boaters and anglers to show their support for Wear Your Life Jacket To Work Day, by donning their lifejacket tomorrow.