46 CFR § 160.176-3 - Definitions.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t46/s160.176-3"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "46 CFR § 160.176-3 - Definitions."
title_number: 46
title_name: "Shipping"
section_number: "160.176-3"
section_name: "Definitions."
chapter_name: "COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY"
subchapter_number: "Q"
subchapter_name: "EQUIPMENT, CONSTRUCTION, AND MATERIALS: SPECIFICATIONS AND APPROVAL"
part_number: "160"
part_name: "LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "46 U.S.C. 2103, 3306, 3703, 4302; E.O. 12234; 45 FR 58801; 3 CFR, 1980 Comp., p. 277; and DHS Delegation 00170.1, Revision No. 01.4."
cfr_part: "160"
---


# 160.176-3 Definitions.

(a) *Commandant* means the Commandant means the Chief of the Lifesaving and Fire Safety Standards Division. Address: Commandant (CG-ENG-4), Attn: Lifesaving and Fire Safety Division, U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7509, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20593-7509; telephone 202-372-1392 or fax 202-372-1924.

(b) *First quality worksmanship* means construction which is free from any defect materially affecting appearance or serviceability.

(c) *Functional deterioration* means—

(1) Damage such as deformation in hardware or a rip, tear, or loose stitches;

(2) Decline in any performance characteristic; or

(3) Any other change making the lifejacket unfit for use.

(d) *Functional residual capacity* (FRC) means the amount of lung volume a person has remaining at the bottom of the normal breathing cycle when at rest.

(e) *Inflation medium* means any solid, liquid, or gas, that, when activated, provides inflation for buoyancy.

(f) *Inspector* means an independent laboratory representative assigned to perform the duties described in § 160.176-15 of this subpart.

(g) *PFD* means personal flotation device as defined in 33 CFR 175.13.

(h) *Reference vest* means a model AK-1 PFD meeting subpart 160.047 of this part, except that, in lieu of the weight and displacement values prescribed in Tables 160.047-4(c)(2) and § 160.047-(4)(c)(4), each front insert must have a weight of kapok of at least 8.25 oz. and a volume displacement of 9.0 ±0.25 lb., and the back insert must have a weight of kapok of at least 5.5 oz. and a volume displacement of 6.0 ±0.25 lb. To achieve the specified volume displacement, front insert envelopes may be larger than the dimensions prescribed by § 160.047-1(b).

(i) [Reserved]

(j) *Second stage donning* means adjustments or steps necessary to make a lifejacket provide its intended flotation characteristics after the device has been properly donned and then inflated.

[CGD 78-174b, 54 FR 50320, Dec. 5, 1989, as amended by CGD 95-072, 60 FR 50466, Sept. 29, 1995; CGD 96-041, 61 FR 50733, Sept. 27, 1996; USCG-2009-0702, 74 FR 49238, Sept. 25, 2009; USCG-2013-0671, 78 FR 60159, Sept. 30, 2013]