RISK ASSESSMENT

Boat trips to Inchcolm Island

IMPORTANT NOTE: IF ANY OF THE DETAILS OUTLINED BELOW ARE UNWORKABLE OR CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE PLEASE REVIEW AND UPDATE THE RISK ASSESSMENT AND DISTRIBUTE COPIES TO RELEVANT PERSONS.

THIS RISK ASSESSMENT HAS CONSIDERED THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL HAZARDS TO PASSENGERS:

ACTIVITIES:

  • Boarding / Disembarking
  • Safety on board the vessel while at sea
  • Landing / exploring Inchcolm Island

THE IDENTIFIED HAZARDS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

L=LOWM= MEDIUMH= HIGH(Level of Risk)

HAZ
NO. /

HAZARD

/ RISK / MITIGATION MEASURES
1 / FALLING FROM HEIGHTS / L /
  • Ensure no persons climb, sit or lean over the guard rails around the top deck of the boat.
  • All passengers instructed to keep away from pier edge on arrival at Inchcolm and proceed straight through the barrier (high pier) / or at top of steps (low pier).
  • Various Low risk hazards exist within the Abbey and around the Island – Historic Scotland custodian can provide guidance.

2 / FALLING INTO WATER / M /
  • All boarding and disembarking of the boat is done via a fixed gangway which is fixed at one end to the boat and has handrails along both sides.
  • Crew / Skipper to assist passengers to board / disembark if required.
  • No persons to climb, sit on or lean over the guardrails around the top deck of the boat.
  • All parents must keep children under control while on the boat.

3 / SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS / M /
  • Hawes Pier surface to be kept free of algae and weed by Edinburgh City Council (landowners).
  • Inchcolm Low Pier surface to be kept clear of algae and weed by Historic Scotland (landowners)
  • Walk carefully on all of the piers as they are likely to be wet underfoot.
  • No running on any of the piers.
  • All of the watertight door thresholds on board the boat are marked with high visibility tape.
  • No running on board the boat
  • Care to be taken when moving around the boat as the motion of the boat may affect your balance

4 / ADVERSE WEATHER - COLD / M /
  • Passengers to be advised to wear warm clothes, It is always a few degrees colder once on the boat than it is on land.
  • Main saloon on the boat is heated.
  • Although there is no heating in the Abbey, the majority of the rooms are weathertight.
  • Visitor Centre and shop on the Island are heated
  • Captain will not depart if there is severly adverse weather forecast.
  • Captain reserves the right to cancel a landing trip if he deems the approach to the pier to be too hazardous due to the weather conditions.

5 / EXPOSURE TO SUN / M /
  • Passengers to be advised to wear sunscreen on bright days due to the reflection of the sun’s rays from the water
  • Passengers must take plenty of water on hot days onto the Island as there is no fresh drinking water tap available on the Island. (Bottled water as available form the bar on the boat and the gift shop on the island)

6 / EMERGENCY PROCEDURES / L /
  • All passengers will be briefed on the particular emergency situation by the skipper and be instructed what to do.
  • The skipper will follow relevant company and safety at sea procedures to ensure the safety of the passengers at all times
  • The skipper will be responsible for the use of all lifesaving equipment carried on the vessel and contacting the relevant authorities / emergency services as required.

7 / SUDDEN ILLNESS OF PASSENGER / M /
  • Captain is qualified first aider, Custodian on island is qualified first aider.
  • Captain / Custodian will assess situation and decide what action to take.
  • South Queensferry Lifeboat can be on scene within approx. 20 mins at any time of day and can evacuate casualty back to an Ambualnce on the Hawes Pier if required.
  • Captain can return to Pier if quicker than calling lifeboat.
  • Helicopter evacuation can be arranged via coastguard if neccessary