Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club
Risk Assessment & Safety Plan
This document contains the risk assessment, safety plan and
procedures for Stratford Boat Club and it is a condition of club membership that these procedures are followed.
Whilst all members are required to follow the club rules and
procedures it should be remembered at all times there is no
substitute for using your intelligence.
Rowing is a relatively safe sport but any activity associated with water and the British climate needs constant vigilance and above all people to use their experience and knowledge to predict what may happen over the next few hours and act accordingly.
Contents
1. The Club
Location
Membership
Facilities
2. Factors to be considered for water safety
The individual
The boat
The water
3. The dangers that are to be avoided
4. - Risk assessment (see separate attachment)
Boating generally
Junior rowing
Coxes
Boating upstream
Learn to row
Indoor training
5.Safety Procedures
Competency requirements
New members
Outings
Cold weather
Launches
Safety equipment
Trailing boats
Land training
Juniors
Incident reporting
Incident response and recovery
6. - Appendices
What should you do if you end up in the water ? Induction (Topics to cover)
Club Insurance Requirements
Cold Water Rowing Rules
1. The Club
SUABC is a well established club founded in 1874 with a membership of about 160 . The club comprises a small area of land adjacent to the river and a public recreation ground with a club building and restricted parking area. The building contains a boat shed and changing rooms on the ground floor and a small clubhouse with training facilities on the first floor.
Location
The Avon at Stratford has 2 distinct sections for rowing.
Downstream
From the boat house to the weir where most training is done is a stretch of water about 750m long and 30m wide. Sufficient for two boats to pass easily, although the river is not straight and constant steering is necessary. There is a towpath through the park the entire length of this stretch which makes supervision easy. This area is heavily peopled so any capsize is unlikely to go unnoticed. The banks are generally easy to climb though not in all areas and most of the river is quite shallow, approx 4 to 5 feet. However, the water has to be shared with a significant amount of other water traffic, narrow boats (some that are moored) and tourists in rowing boats and small motor boats. During the summer months training times are reduced on weekend mornings to avoid the high volumes of other water traffic. The weir is barricaded off making it virtually impossible for a boat to go over. During times of heavy rainfall when the river is flowing fast then boats need to give themselves additional room to turn to avoid becoming trapped against the weir barriers.
Upstream
This area of water extends for about 3km from the boat house and is generally about 20m to 25m wide. Passing boats need to take more care. This stretch of water is generally only used for more high performance training. There is no towpath and the water and banks are very quiet. There are some fishermen occasionally, houses set back with long gardens and two caravan parks and farmland. Any capsizes would generally only be noticed by a fellow club member. Once again the banks are generally easy to climb though not in all areas and most of the river is quite shallow, again about 4 to 5 feet. Access to upstream is only achieved by going under two bridges, one with wide arches and the other with narrow arches. Navigating through the second bridge is very tricky. If positioned centrally a sculling boat can go through without adjusting its blades though this is usually not possible and one blade needs to be pulled in. Rowing blades always need to be pulled in to avoid the arches. For this reason only competent rowers are allowed upstream. When the river is fast flowing no boats are allowed upstream as this manoeuvre becomes too difficult and the chances of the stream trapping the boat against the bridge become much more likely. Because this stretch of water has no towpath juniors are only allowed to go upstream as long as they are accompanied by a safety launch. All senior single scullers should make someone aware if they are going upstream. In the winter months they should take a mobile phone and foil blanket with them as an added safety measure.
Membership
There is a fairly even split in the club between Junior and Senior members. The senior members have fairly good representation in all age bands from early twenties to sixty and beyond. Both Junior and Senior members are active competitively. Adults – Masters and Seniors
There are currently between 80 adult members ranging from competent and
experienced people to novice beginners. There is an adult teaching programme; Learn to Row (L2R) for new members who have not rowed before. These are run at least once and sometimes twice a year.
Adult rowing is divided into squads and organised by the Master’s, Senior Men’s and Senior Woman’s Vice Captains. Once seniors have completed their novice year there is less organised coaching and most crews go out on their own without a coach or a launch.
Touring and Recreational Rowers
This has increased at Stratford over the last year with the launch of explore rowing by British Rowing. We have a number of new learn to row / touring boats that are predominantly used by the novice seniors. A number of touring days have also been organised. Risk assessments for these trips need to be carried out prior to the trip taking place.
Beginners
Members who have recently completed a L2R course are assigned to a senior or masters squad as appropriate. Their squad Vice Captain is responsible for ensuring they receive training throughout their novice year. They are subject to additional restrictions on the boats they can take-out and the levels of supervision of their outings.
Juniors
There are approximately 80 juniors who are generally recruited from the local schools. This group is organised and coached by the Club Junior Co-ordinator with the support of other coaches and parents acting as spotters on the river banks. All junior coaches are CRB checked and have at least IA or UKCC Level 2 coaching qualifications.
Facilities
The club’s facilities are fairly basic and we all hope that the planned re-building of the boat house goes ahead next year and upgrades these facilities. The changing rooms have showers which are generally only used by the victim of a capsize. Seniors are asked not to use the showers whilst juniors are on the premises and this system works well.
The boat shed is very cramped and the carrying out and in of boats is difficult. It is essential that boats are carried by sufficient numbers of people to prevent damage to the boats and injury to the carriers.
The first floor club room contains a small kitchen & bar, some weights and about 10 ergo machines.
Equipment
This club has a fleet of about 40 boats ranging from eights to sculling boats, some good and some not so good. There are also a number of privately owned boats that are racked at the club. The older boats tend to be racked outside due to shortage of space inside.
There are two club safety / coaching launches.
Safety Notice Board
The Club safety notice board is maintained in the boathouse and contains the following information:
Emergency Phone Numbers
Local river navigation rules, restrictions access for emergency vehicles etc.
Boat Booking Book Incident reporting Book
Day Board containing restrictions, new hazards
Insurance information
2. Factors to be considered for water safety
Personal Factors
The Individual
Ability to swim This is an absolute requirement (although a non-swimmer with a
suitable buoyancy aid may be given permission) Compulsory swimming test for all members
State of health/fitness Needs to be evaluated on an individual basis Included in
membership form and all members required to inform club if medical situation changes
Existence of any disability
Requires assessment on a case by case basis. Included in membership form and all members required to inform club if medical situation changes
Age Both young and old may require special consideration Juniors have additional rules.
Technical competence of the rower/cox
The level of competence of the rower in the boat they are to use, e.g. rower in a coxed boat or a single sculler
Clothing worn Requires suitable protection from cold/wet weather or alternatively from sun and heat. Also relevant to consider the is ability to swim in the clothes in the event of a capsize
Factors Related to the Activity/Equipment
The boat
Type of boat used Eights and fours are very unlikely to capsize, but can be swamped in rough water or may founder as a result of a collision. They are slower to turn around and in a fast stream this can be problematic. Risk of immersion is much higher for those in small boats which are more prone to capsize. Coxed boats are inherently safer than coxless boats.
Defective equipment Inadequate heel restraints, bow balls, unsealed buoyancy
chambers, loose riggers, gates, buttons, etc. are all sources of risk
Inherent buoyancy Not a major issue on the Avon, but requires consideration
when visiting rougher water venues
Location of activity Rowing downstream is generally safer than rowing upstream. It is much easier to supervise. However it is busier with river traffic. Rowing on waters away from our home stretch introduces new risks that have to be evaluated individually.
Overhanging trees etc. Particularly hazardous for coxless boats
Alone or accompanied An unaccompanied single sculler is obviously the most
vulnerable in the event of a mishap.
Environmental Factors
The Water
High water level/Speed of current
The height of river can be a danger in itself, but speed of current is usually the more relevant issue. River can be sometimes be high but placid. The height of the river will affect getting into and out of boats.
Amount and size of driftwood
Related to height of river (usually more driftwood when level rising)
Temperature of water Cold water is a severe risk when there is a danger of immersion.
Air temperature and wind chill factor are also relevant.
Rough water Generally caused by wind, particularly when going against the direction of the stream. May cause swamping or capsize. Not usually an issue on the Avon.
High wind Causes rough water, as stated above, but also a hazard in itself
Snow, hail, rain Can contribute to hypothermia, particularly when windy as well
Lightning A boat on an expanse of open water is a very potential lightning target
Poor visibility Fog or darkness are inherently dangerous, but may also make other accidents much more serious because they reduce the chances of rescue
Amount of other river traffic including moored boats
Both the volume of other traffic and the nature of the other boats (speed, amount of wash, etc.) Increase in the risk of collision, reduced visibility
Water-borne diseases Additional danger in relation to immersion or transfer hand-to mouth.
3. The dangers that are to be avoided
Drowning
In mild conditions, drowning is considered unlikely as the river is narrow and fairly shallow with a relatively slow stream. Cold shock in winter months does however make drowning a possibility and hence this is regarded as a higher risk. All members are required to demonstrate that they can swim 100m and are given a swimming test as part of the normal club capsize drill required for all new members.
This risk is addressed by the swimming test for new members
Hypothermia
Not likely downstream due to the proximity of the boat house, the area being well supervised and very visible to the public. The isolated nature of the river upstream means this is a possibility in the winter months when not attended by a launch. Single scullers should carry a space blanket and a phone and a number of someone at the clubhouse at this time. In very cold weather single scullers should not row alone upstream.
Injury from Collisions, or Capsize
There are a number of minor collisions at Stratford each year. Boats collide with each other, with other river craft, with flotsam, and with the bank. To date there have been no significant injuries although damage to the boats is often suffered and collisions are regarded as a significant potential incident particularly during the summer months when there is increased river traffic. Thankfully there is less river traffic during the colder months when the potential consequences of collision are highest. There are quite regular capsizes at Stratford, usually due to the competence of the rower. In cold water, there is a risk of hypothermia.
This risk is addressed by close supervision of beginners and only allowing competent rowers to row upstream.
Heart Attack – Stroke
Heart attacks have occurred in British Rowing and there is only a small risk at Stratford due to the age profile of the members. It is something to be addressed at the Fun regatta event, especially if this becomes a land based event.
This risk is addressed by the Club membership questionnaire and the procedures for vulnerable people.
Minor Cuts / Blisters (Slight Injury/Highly Probable )
Cuts are possible due to handling the boat, from exposed rigger bolts, from sculling technique etc. Blisters are a common issue. These are dealt with at the club by basic hygiene procedures and first aid.
First Aid kit is provided in the boathouse.
Muscle Strain ( Injury Quite likely )
Back strains are quite common and are dealt with by the members GP and physiotherapy. The likelihood of these is reduced by restricting rowing to juniors over the age of fifteen. Once members become reasonably competent rowers/scullers, and hence increasing their effort, then more attention should be paid to back stretching, core exercises and alternating the sides on which they row, to reduce back injury
Coaches need to ensure this is taking place
Leptospirosis & Weil’s Disease -
Water quality is generally reasonable, however, there is a lot of motorised river traffic so there will be pollution from diesel as well as significant droppings from the large quantity of ducks, geese and swans that live there. Of particular concern is the boating area that is popular with the marine life and continually contaminated by faeces. This is swept regularly but is never sufficiently clean not to remain a hygiene hazard.
Weil’s disease is a waterborne bacterial infection (Leptospirosis) that is contracted