Innovation in Survival

The market leading Spinlock DURO life jacket range was developed for industrial users alongside commercia maritime, building on Spinlock’s knowledge gained from the challenging environment of offshore yacht racing. 

In simplest terms, when deployed in the water, a life jacket gives the casualty time to survive and reduces time for location and recovery.  Some of the ways Spinlock achieve this are…… 

Flotation 

Flotation is the first obvious tool in survival.  Spinlock dynamic bladders are designed to lift and rotate a casualty on to their back, holding the mouth above water and the body at a 45-degree angle to the horizontal, even if they are unconscious.  Lifejacket bladders come in two sizes,  150N offering 15kg of lift or 275N offering 27kg of lift.  The choice of bladder size is not anything to do with the casualty size or weight but is affected by the dead weight being carried or worn by the user.  Tool belts, safety boots, fall arrest harnesses and items that sink, require the larger bladder to float the casualty.  

Protection 

An important addition to any life jacket used at sea is the spray hood.  On inflation of the life jacket the spray hood is simple to deploy by the casualty and a valuable tool in preventing the inhalation of saltwater spray which can lead to drowning in the water or a recovered casualty later suffering from complications of drowning more commonly referred to as secondary drowning. Deploying the sprayhood helps to prevent secondary drowning and tends to calm the MOB by reducing spray in eyes / mouth and disorientating wind noise. 

Illumination 

Spinlock have two unique products in aiding the location of a casualty. Firstly, the Spinlock PYLON light, the only SOLAS approved life jacket light that lifts the powerful led light above the user’s head, making the light visible for 360 degrees rather than only from the front of the casualty.  

Also dramatically enhancing visibility of a casualty in the water, is the Spinlock LUME-On. Two encapsulated LED lights that are adhered to the bladder material.  When the life jacket is inflated the lights automatically activate in the water, using the bladder material as a diffuser lighting up the entire inflated bladder into a bright green beacon.  Not only does this dramatically aid in the location of the casualty but Spinlock also found in in-water testing that the LUME-On when deployed made confidently positioning a vessel alongside the casualty much simpler. 

Taylored Fit 

Only a tiny number of our customers deploy our products in real life situations and as a result the most considered part of our lifejacket design THE FIT.  When developing the original Spinlock Deckvest the team looked at technology from the outdoor industry and sports apparel markets wanting to not only make a product that offered superior comfort but also was desirable.  The comfort of a Spinlock life jackets transferred into industry as employers want to encourage life jacket wear and reduce employee fatigue caused by ill-fitting equipment.  The Spinlock DURO range is used in Offshore Wind, Marine Pilotage, Security, Fishing and general on water work around the world.  Designed with the worker in mind using heavy duty fabrics, considered fit that does not restrict movement and to a range of different approvals the Spinlock DURO range is leading the way in worker protection. 

For more information, please see the Spinlock website www.spinlock.co.uk or contact the team [email protected]