Preventing drowning (life jackets, shoulder-straps and overalls)

AIPs preventing drowning should start to float on the water's surface as soon as possible to not risk the possibly exhausted or unconscious user's health and keep her in vertical position, enabling breathing while waiting for help.

These AIPs can be fully or partially made from materials which keep themselves on the water's surface, be filled with gas freed manually or automatically, or blowed with one's mouth.

In the expected conditions of use,

* the AIPs should be resistable against crashing on a liquid's surface and against environmental conditions connected with this liquid, with no harm to their correct functioning;

* those AIPs which are filled with gas, sholud be filled quickly and totally; if the situation requires it, some types of AIPs must fulfill one or few extra expectations:

- be equipped with all blowing mechanisms defined in second paragraph, with the addition of blinker or sonic signalisators;

- be equipped with mechanisms for hooking and securing the body, so that the user could be taken out of the liquid;

- be adapted to long-term use in the conditions of the users' constant endangering, in the cases they have fallen into liquid or have to dip in it. 

Protective equipement enabling keeping at the water's surface

- these are the AIPs in the form of clothing, enabling keeping at the surface in the expected correct way of using, which provides safety while wearing it and also the keeping the user safely at the water's surface. In the expected conditions of use, these AIPs should not limit the users, movement, but enable swimming, running away from danger or saving others.

http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pl/dd/docs/1989/31989L0686-PL.doc