Indiana § 14-15-14-3 - Ring life buoy installation and standards

§ 14-15-14-3. Ring life buoy installation and standards

Sec. 3. (a) The following apply to a ring life buoy installed on a pier or public access site under section 2(a) of this chapter:

(1) The ring life buoy must not be permanently secured in any way to a station, rack, or pier.

(2) The ring life buoy must be stowed inside a station to protect it from constant weather exposure.

(3) The ring life buoy must meet the requirements of:

(A) 46 CFR 160.050; or

(B) 46 CFR 160.150;

for Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) approved equipment, or must meet other standards for public rescue equipment issued by the United States Coast Guard.

(4) There must be attached to each ring life buoy a buoyant line:

(A) that:

(i) is at least one hundred (100) feet long; or

(ii) if the ring life buoy is secured to a station, rack, or pier more than fifty (50) feet away from the Lake Michigan shoreline, is at least twenty-five (25) feet longer than the distance between the station, rack, or pier to which the ring life buoy is secured and the Lake Michigan shoreline;

(B) that has a breaking strength of at least five (5) kilonewtons; and

(C) the end of which must not be secured to the shore.

(5) The ring life buoy must be marked with type II retroreflective material meeting the requirements of 46 CFR 164.018.

(6) The ring life buoy:

(A) must be placed not more than two hundred (200) feet from the shoreline of Lake Michigan; and

(B) must be available for emergency rescue operations.

(b) A station in which a ring life buoy is stowed under subsection (a)(2) must:

(1) be a bright orange, red, or yellow color for high visibility to aid with quick access to the ring life buoy; and

(2) bear signage that warns lakefront patrons that tampering with or misusing public rescue equipment is strictly prohibited.

As added by P.L.35-2024, SEC.5.