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.

KEYWORDS:

• personal floatation devices
• life-saving appliances
• drowning
• effectiveness
• Uganda

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the management of the landing sites where the lifejacket samples were obtained. They also thank the Marine Police Unit for providing security during the in-water lifejacket testing. They thank the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) for supporting the tests. The authors are thankful to their Research Assistants (Monica Aweko, Lawrence Magara, Morris C. Jabero, Grace Kabasinguzi, and Edgar Ayesiga Wandigali).

The results, statements, and views expressed in this article are solely the responsibility of the authors, and do not represent the official position of Makerere University School of Public Health. Only adults (age ≥18 years) who were trained strong swimmers and willing to get wet by falling into the lake were recruited through a written informed consenting process. All lifejacket shops were de-identified for anonymity.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Ethical approval

This study was approved by Makerere University School of Public Health Higher Degrees Research and Ethics Committee (HDREC), and registered with Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), registration #SS992ES. Administrative clearance from Uganda Police Marines and the leadership of the landing sites was obtained before the study.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Makerere University School of Public Health under the Small Grants Programme [grant number MakSPH-GRCB/20-21/04].