As we all known, reflective materials were first used in road traffic safety facilities, it has become an indispensable security guard for road traffic. Actually, reflective materials also play a significant role in life safety at sea which is mainly reflected in the night search and rescue work, and are widely applied in marine lifesaving equipment. How to attach the reflective tape of the life-saving equipment on board, at IMO Resolution 4.658(16)as specified in the appendix.
1. Lifeboat
The paste of reflector tape must reach sufficient width and length, with the minimum area of each reflector tape reaching 150 square centimeters and distributed evenly. And it’s required to stick to the side of the lifeboat.
2. Life buoy
Four rounds of reflective tape must be placed evenly around the lifebuoy. Each reflective strip should be wide enough (about 5cm).
3. Life jacket
The position of the reflective tape on the life jacket must be helpful to search from all directions such as the surface rescue ship and the air rescue aircraft. The total area of the reflective material should not be less than 400 square centimeters.
For reversible lifejackets, the requirements for the paste must be on either side, and the total area of the reflective belt should not be less than 400 square centimeters. In addition, reflective tape as much as possible pastes on the top of the lifejacket.
4. Immersion suits
Paste requirements for immersion suits are the same as the life jacket.
Besides, for immersion suits that do not automatically make the wearer face upward, a reflective tape with a total area of no less than 100 square centimeters shall be applied to the back.
To sum up, the application of reflective tape to life-saving equipment at sea is explicitly specified and there is a detailed paste requirement, as it does help in the rescue work for the drowning person and improve the protection of human life at sea.