Personal Watercraft: Action/Reaction Hazards

Abstract

Personal watercraft (PWC) are small, light, high-horsepower boats. They are quite capable of injuring their occupants. This condition is exacerbated by the levels of acceleration these machines achieve under normal operating conditions, their unique operating characteristics, the design of the controls, operator/passenger configurations, seat and handhold designs and regulations. This paper explores the ergonomic design package, machine and boat design, injury patterns, safety hazards, regulations and some other issues that surround the PWC.