Jarvis Walker’s life jacket model ‘Type 1 PFD’ with batch number WD-15-0588 has been found to be unsafe.

There are as many as 20,000 of these life jackets on the Australian market, although it is unknown how many are in Victoria.

Jarvis Walker must now undertake a recall with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

MSV says the company is co-operating responsibly and has already contacted its suppliers.

“This safety alert is an important message for the public, as they cannot rely on this particular life jacket model and batch to protect lives in a marine incident,” director Peter Corcoran said.

MSV’s enforcement team monitors the market for safety equipment design faults and tested this life jacket after being alerted to its design.

The team found the device lacked a waistband fixture on one side necessary to secure the foam blocks in place.

In testing, this resulted in the right foam block either completely dislodging, or sliding up to the wearer’s chin and the head block sliding to the left.

This provided inadequate support for the wearer’s head, posing a serious risk of drowning.

Other batches may also have this fault.

Boaters are advised to check their life jackets and return them to the supplier if they have such a fault, replacing them with a design that has the waistband secured on each side.

Mr Corcoran said the safety alert was also a warning to other suppliers and manufacturers to review their own product designs for such faults.

“Manufacturers are advised to check that their products satisfy all elements of the relevant standards, including the in-water performance,” he said.

Standards will generally require a life jacket to remain securely in place when the wearer jumps or falls into the water.”