Boat Club Safety Plan

Boat Club Safety Plan

Policy Statement:

The Corpus Christi College Boat Club (now referred to as ‘the Club’) is determined to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that measures are taken to protect and promote the health and safety of club members and persons not associated with the Club. The Club will provide and maintain equipment and systems used during club activities which they will determine to be, as far as is reasonably practicable, safe.

1) INTRODUCTION

a.This plan outlines the precautions that the Club will take to fulfil the requirements of the British Rowing ‘Row Safe’ guidelines, Environment Agency regulations and to promote the safe participation of rowing by all members of the Club.

b.It is the duty of the President to understand and ensure that all safety related guidelines and requirements are implemented in the Club.

c.Any breaches of this safety plan will be reported to and recorded by the President and appropriate action taken to ensure that the safety plan is not breached in the future.

d.The Club Committee will promote the responsibility of club members for their own safety and their duty of care to all other Club members and users of the river.

e.The Captain of Coxes, President, Men’s Captain or Women’s Captain may prevent crews or individuals from using Boat Club equipment if they consider them to pose a risk to themselves, other river users or the equipment. If such a situation arises, the Committee will meet to discuss the situation and find a resolution.

2) INSURANCE

1. Corpus Christi College Boat club is insured under the block insurance policy for Corpus Christi College, Oxford. The insurance provides:

1. Cover for the boats and blades
2. Public liability insurance including a ‘Member to Member’ extension
3. Buildings’ Insurance

3) SAFETY EQUIPMENT

a.In the Boathouse the following safety equipment and information will be available at all times:

i.Contact details for President and Captains

ii.Fire extinguishers

iii.First aid equipment

iv.Thermal blankets

v.Life jackets/Buoyancy aids

vi.Throw lines

b.The President and President will check and ensure that the safety equipment is present and in working order at the start of each term.

c.If a member of the Club finds that a piece of equipment to be damaged then they must report it to the President, Men’s and Women’s Captains and note it in the maintenance report book.

d.The location of safety equipment will be shown to all new novice members of the Club by the Lower Boat’s Captains prior to going out on the river.

e.The President will ensure that a plan of the river and the ‘OURCs Coxing Rules, Hints and Tips’ are displayed in the boathouse at all times.

4) INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS

a.The President will report any incident to British Rowing within 24 hours of the incident. An incident can be but is not limited to:

i.Capsize or falling out of a boat

ii.Collision with static object or other rowing boat due to navigation issue or poor visibility or lighting

iii.Swamping due to rough water, collision, wash

iv.Health related issues (e.g. manual handling, respiratory, hypothermia, heat stress, water-borne disease)

v.Equipment failure (e.g. riggers, gates, seats, feet, steering equipment, bow ball, blades, PFD’s, throw lines, racking)

vi.Land training injury due to weight training, circuit training, running, cycling, indoor rowing, slips or trips

vii.Behaviour (e.g. vandalism, violence)

b.A Club member involved in the incident must report the incident to the President and record using an incident form (kept in the coxing cupboard). The record in the incident must include:

i.Date and Time

ii.Location

iii.Type of event (as detailed in bold above)

iv.Description of the incident including diagrams where appropriate

c.The completed incident forms will be stored in the boathouse in the LCBC Safety folder and maintenance of this folder will be the job of the Captain of Coxes.

d.After an incident the Club risk assessment and safety plan must be reviewed as necessary in order to prevent an incident of the same kind occurring again.

5) ROWERS, SCULLERS AND COXSWAINS

a.When joining the club, all members must complete a Safety Form declaring that they are in good health, are able to pass the swim test in light clothing and are of sound hearing and vision and outing any issues that may put their own, or other people’s, safety at risk whilst they are participating in rowing or coxing for the Club.

b.The President will keep these records until the individual leaves the Club and pass all safety forms onto their successor when their time as President ends.

c.All members must complete an Induction Safety form before being allowed to go out on the water. The President will be responsible for this.

d.All personal information will be kept strictly confidential and only accessible to the President and Men’s and Women’s Captains.

e.All coxswains must wear a life jacket when on the water and this must be worn over all other layers of clothing. This is the responsibility of individual coxswains.

f.All coxswains will be provided with details of:

i.Their responsibilities as a coxswain

ii.Navigation rules of the river

iii.Appropriate dress and symptoms of hypothermia

iv.The safe fitting and operation of life jackets

g.The President will maintain an up to date version of all information required by coxes and provide it to coxswains should they need a copy.

h.Any member of the Club wishing to use a Club scull must complete an OURCs capsize test and be given the permission of the Club President before taking out any scull.

i.Novice scullers must be accompanied by a suitable coach at all times until the Captains believe they are competent to scull alone.

j.Single scullers are responsible for their own safety when sculling alone and must abide by the rules and guidelines set OURCs and British Rowing.

k.All crews must abide by OURCs flag system where:

i.Green flag –No restrictions and normal circulation applies

ii.Blue flag –Experienced and Senior status coxes only. Crews must spin between the red and white posts 100m downstream of Donnington Bridge (the ‘turn early’ post) and the first post (also red and white) on Haystacks Corner and may not spin at Longbridges, except to land at Longbridges. All crews must be accompanied by a bank rider who, in case of emergency, must carry a throw-line and a mobile phone programmed with the phone number for Iffley Lock (01865 777277).

iii.Amber flag –The Isis is closed to all College crews except Senior crews (crews with at least four rowers with more than three terms of experience and containing no more than one rower with less than a term of experience). Crews must spin between the red and white post100m downstream of Donnington Bridge (the ‘turn early’ post)and the first post (also red and white) on Haystacks Corner and may not spin at Longbridges, except to land at Longbridges. All crews must be accompanied by a bank-rider who, in case of emergency, must carry a throw-line and a mobile phone programmed with the phone number for Iffley Lock (01865 777277).

iv.Red flag –The Isis is closed to all College crews.

v.Grey flag –The flag is not being maintained and crews, with advice of a coach, must make their own assessment of stream conditions and decide whether it is safe to boat.

l.No crew may boat over an hour before sunrise or over an hour after sunset.

m.All safety information will be made easily available to all members of the Club.

6) NOVICES

a.The Club President is responsible for demonstrating:

i.The location of safety equipment

ii.The safe handling and lifting of boats

iii.The safe entry and exit from a boat

iv.The safe use of fitted shoes and their release mechanisms.

v.Basic coxing calls such as “Hold it hard”, “Take the run off” and “Easy there”

b.All novice crews will be coached from the bank for all outings.

c.All members of the Club will receive Induction Safety Training to include on and off water activities.

7) EQUIPMENT

a.The college boatman is responsible for repairs to any equipment.

b.Damage and repairs needed must be reported to the Men’s or Women’s Captain as appropriate and to the boatman either directly in person or via the repairs book at the boat house. Damages should also be reported in writing to the President.

c.At the start of each term the Captain of Coxes, Men’s and Women’s Captains and President will check and record that each boat has:

i.A bow ball firmly attached to its bow

ii.All buoyancy compartment covers present and intact

iii.Heel restraints on all shoes

iv.No damage to the structure or leaks

v.Riggers, gates, seats and stretchers in good working order

vi.Rudder lines, steering mechanism, rudder and fin secure and in good working order

d.Coxswains are responsible for checking before an outing that:

i.The bow ball is present and firmly attached

ii.The buoyancy compartments, covers and seals are all in tact

iii.There are no leaks

iv.Heel restraints are in place and do not allow the shoes to go higher than horizontal to the level of the boat

e.If any damage occurs during an outing the crew should return to the boathouse immediately as safety as possible and inform the boatman.

8) AMENDMENTS

a.The incoming Presidents, Captains and President will review this Safety Plan at the start of their term of office and as regularly as necessary after that point. Amendments must be approved by the Committee.