Mustang Survival Top Choice in NIOSH PFD Studies

Online, April 12, 2013 (Newswire.com) - The Mustang Survival MD3188 was ranked as the number 1 overall choice by commercial fishermen in the original PFD evaluation, and the new series highlights preferences and evaluation criteria by gear group.

The "PFDs that Work" series showcase the top-rated personal flotation devices (PFDs) for four different fishing gear groups: crabbers, gillnetters, longliners and trawlers. The series came out of the 2008/2009 evaluation conducted by researchers from the NIOSH Alaska Pacific Office with over 200 commercial fishermen. The fishermen wore the PFDs for one month while working on deck to rate the comfort, mobility, durability and overall acceptability of six modern personal flotation devices (PFDs).

"Our team worked hard with United States Coast Guard to develop the first and only inflatable work vest on the market," said Jason Leggatt, VP, Research & Development at Mustang Survival. "We spent a lot of time validating durability and comfort concerns, and are pleased to see such high acceptance of this unique product."

The Mustang Survival MD3188 HIT Inflatable Work Vest also earned top marks in a study conducted in a collaborative effort by University of Washington, Oregon Health & Science University and NIOSH. In the study, titled "Oregon Crab Fishing Safety Assessment," fishermen gave the MD3188 a score of 88.9/100 while the next closest competitor scored 70/100.

The PFDs that Work studies can be viewed online at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fishing/

The Oregon Crab Fishing Safety Assessment can be viewed online at:
http://depts.washington.edu/pnash/files/03_research_pub/03_ORCrab_Fishing_SafetyAsses.pdf

For more details about the Mustang Survival MD 3188 HIT Inflatable Work Vest, visit www.mustangsurvival.com/professional/md3188