Overview
ISO 24408:2005 - Ships and marine technology - Position‑indicating lights for life‑saving appliances - Testing, inspection and marking of production units - defines production‑level testing, inspection, marking and documentation requirements for position‑indicating lights used with life‑saving appliances (e.g., lifejacket lights, survival craft lights, lifebuoy self‑igniting lights). It is intended for devices type‑approved to the IMO LSA Code for SOLAS ships, and its principles can be applied to other manufacturing regimes.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and quality control
- Requires a manufacturing quality control system to ensure production units match the approved prototype. ISO 9001:2000 compliance is recommended.
- Producers must retain prototype and production test records for at least 10 years.
- Production lot size
- Default maximum: 1 000 units or one week’s production (whichever is less).
- If manufactured under ISO 9001:2000, max lot may be increased to 5 000 units or one week’s production.
- Marking and documentation
- Each unit must be indelibly marked with type/model, approving authority and mark, manufacture date, expiry date, manufacturer ID, lot number, operating instructions, and lithium‑battery warnings when applicable.
- Battery expiry on the product must not exceed demonstrated service life and must respect battery rules (battery expiry ≤ 50% of battery service life considering losses).
- Performance tests (representative sampling)
- Watertightness: immersion under 300 mm fresh water for 24 h.
- Operational life and luminous intensity:
- Lifejacket lights: light for 8 h, ≥ 0.75 cd upper hemisphere; tests in seawater (–1 °C and +30 °C) and fresh water (ambient).
- Survival craft exterior lights: 12 h, ≥ 4.3 cd; interior lights: ≥ 0.5 cd average.
- Lifebuoy self‑igniting lights: 2 h, ≥ 2.0 cd.
- Flash rate (if applicable): 50–70 flashes per minute.
- Switch/pull‑off force: measured against manufacturer tolerances.
- Test procedures
- Detailed test methods are specified (Clause 6) and Annex A provides recommended production testing/inspection procedures.
Applications and users
ISO 24408 is practical for:
- Manufacturers of marine position‑indicating lights (design, production quality control)
- Shipbuilders and vessel operators specifying SOLAS/LSA‑compliant equipment
- Flag administrations, classification societies and maritime surveyors carrying out production conformity assessment
- Procurement officers, safety managers and marine equipment certifiers
Related Standards
- IMO LSA Code (Life‑Saving Appliances)
- IMO Res. A.689(17) (Revised Recommendation on Testing of Life‑Saving Appliances) - referenced normative document
- SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea)
Keywords: ISO 24408:2005, position‑indicating lights, life‑saving appliances, testing, inspection, marking, SOLAS, IMO LSA Code, watertightness, luminous intensity, manufacturing quality control.
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