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Culture and Promotion

Competent people given responsibility and authority

Competency is about proven skills, ability and knowledge

Safety is enhanced if delivery of activity on the water is by:

  • Experienced, competent people who have proven skills, ability and knowledge,
  • Whose suitability has been given due consideration by a committee / officer / role as designated by the organisation,
  • And the appointment has been recorded,
  • Or the delegated authority to appoint has been recorded.

Competent people

Competency is about proven skills, ability and knowledge. Previous learning, training and experience can be used as indicators. Attitude and physical ability can also affect competence.

You need to think carefully about the skill level required for each role. A safety boat driver, for example, should be unconsciously competent at powerboat driving – it should be second nature to put the boat where they want it when they want in a rescue situation. That level of competence takes training and time on the water – experience.

Safe people

You are also looking for safe people – people who, in whatever role they have on the water, have that authority, that sense of duty and who take immediate action in the interests of safety.

Attribute

Description

Supervision

Know what support is available on the day – who is in charge, what other people and boats are available

Ask for feedback on how you are performing

Vigilant

Be vigilant to your own safety and that of others

Keep your head out of the safety boat and anticipate what might happen

Good team member

Listen, always be ready to help, support and respect others in the team, contribute with ideas, be reliable, solve problems quickly and efficiently

Competent Capable Performer

Get the right knowledge, ability and skills; get trained and qualified.

Powerboat driving, for example should be unconsciously competent; makegood decisions around safety techniques and procedures

Assess whether you are fit and healthy enough for what you may need to do in all conditions.

Adaptable

Assess situations calmly and efficiently.

Be able to respond to changing circumstances.

Disciplined

Work within the framework of systems and procedures you have been given

Experience and personal development

Draws on and learns from past experience

Is committed to personal development and accesses training and learning opportunities

Personal equipment

Have the right kit ready to hand and know how to use it (including under pressure)

Ensure the equipment is in good working order

Informed

Be familiar with the operating procedures

Find out if any of the sailors have specific needs while on the water

Be familiar with the boats and equipment being used on the water– rig, de-rig, de-power.

Be familiar with the operating area

 

To ensure you have safe, competent people in place, for each safety critical role you can describe (and record) the training, skills and experience required, along with the committee or person within the organisation who can appoint to each role.

You might record:

  • Role
  • Experience required
  • Course / training required
  • To be appointed by

Once you have described the competence required for the safety critical roles on the water, you could record who has been appointed to each role – who has been given authority to carry out that role - or record who has been delegated the authority to appoint to each role.

Find out more about:

Local and national regulations

There are situations where formal qualifications are required. If you are delivering activities to non-members using vessels you supply then do get advice from the RYA about any local or national regulations you may need to consider, and if those non-members are under 18, then seek advice about the AALA scheme.

People know what to do and how to do it

Reflect on what you do as an organisation to make sure people in safety critical roles know what is expected of them

Staff, members, volunteers and participants learn what to do and how to do it in a number of ways. Reflect on what works for your organisation balancing what you require of people with the time and commitment they have.

How do people learn about the steps you expect them to take - what you expect them to do?

How do people learn about and practice the skills they need, the scenarios they will face?

Some of the ways people learn are outlined below

What to do

  • The procedures you write and the tools you produce to make the steps easy to follow – checklists, guides etc
  • Observing how others behave and picking up on the ‘way things are done here’
  • Induction sessions you offer to people new in role
  • Briefings before each session on the water
  • Refresh sessions you offer to remind people about what to do

How to do it

  • Courses – club based, outside organisation, formal RYA qualifications
  • Skills practice sessions / refresher sessions
  • Observing how others behave and picking up on the ‘way things are done here’
  • Scenario / drill practices
  • Regular engagement / discussion on safety issues

As a result, for each role, it can be important to ensure you can

  • Describe the role and introduce a new person to what is expected
  • Ensure key procedures are read and understood.
  • Support and supervise people so they get feedback about how they are doing and recognition for what they are contributing.
  • Record the training and practice each person receives

Learning is not just about courses – there is a wealth of resources out there you can use:

People accept the risks and choose to take part

Supporting individuals and their decision to participate, knowing the risks involved

It is important people feel able to take part, whether as a participant or in a support role, and part of that is acknowledging the inherent risk involved with on the water activity.

Reflect on what you can do as an organisation to ensure everyone involved feels safe, is able to take part and has fun.

Consider whether you can:

  • Provide a positive, welcoming experience every time
  • Offer reassurance about safety – the measures in place and clarity about what you need people to do
  • Be clear about the equipment available (including what people need to bring with them)
  • Enable people to identify any specific individual needs they have in a safe and private environment, and come up with a plan to provide the support required
  • Have robust sign up processes
  • Be clear about the risks involved
  • Ensure people give their consent to take part

A positive, welcoming environment makes it more likely that people will feel able to ask the questions they may have, be open about the support they need and co-operate with the safety measures in place.

Signs reminding people to wear buoyancy aids or kill cords, briefings before each session, and friendly reminders when people forget important safety measures all offer reassurance about safety – they help establish a safety culture.

Identifying needs

As an organisation, you are looking to make good decisions about a person’s safety and how they can participate, so you need to know what is important to them and the support they need. Individuals are looking for reassurance the activity is for them, that it will be worth giving it a go and it is worth coming back to again and again. Getting to know volunteers and staff is key, so that you can provide the support they need to carry out their role.

For participants needs, so you can plan to

  • Get familiar with the boat and all the controls
  • Get in and out of boats
  • Be recovered from the water
  • Be able to move around once in a boat
  • Use any equipment that may be needed to be safe, control the steering or sails, or to maintain posture / grip on any part of the boat?
  • Respond in the event of an incident

Getting to know someone and the support they need is more than the information you record about them, but as an organisation will need to decide what information to collect about individuals’ support needs.

How reasonable it is that you collect such information is a key question you should be able to answer

Consider:

  • What is the nature of the activity taking place?
  • What level of support and supervision are you offering?
  • What is the nature of the relationship between participants and your organisation?
  • What action might you take based on the information you collect
  • Have you got clear mechanisms for passing on the information to those who might need to act on it?
  • Are the participants children and are their parents present?
  • Do participants lack capacity to communicate their own needs to you and is a family member / carer present who can support the decision making process?

If you do decide to collect personal sensitive data about a person and their needs, the simplest is a two-step approach

Do you have any support needs or health considerations that may affect your ability to take part and that the organisers need to be aware of to keep you safe?

Yes / No

Please provide details of anything the organisers might need to be aware of that may affect your ability to take part and for us to keep you safe?

Free text

Fitness to participate

Whether a person is fit to participate in an activity, or in the role asked of them, is a separate question from the support they may need and should generally be the responsibility of the person themselves (or a parent / carer / guardian). Risk statements are a good place to include an acknowledgement to this effect.

Things change

Both the support a person needs and their fitness to participate can change, so have procedures to ensure information you collect is up to date, and that welcoming, positive environment will encourage people to share what might have changed.

Risk statement

Sailing has some inherent risks. As an organisation you have a duty of care to reduce the risk to a level as low as reasonably practicable, hence the importance of the risk assessments you carry out and a focus on safety. However you can’t eliminate all risk, so it is advised that you make people aware, ask them to acknowledge and inform them of their part in staying safe.

A risk statement may include an agreement and acknowledgement that participants

  • Are aware of, and accept personal responsibility for the inherent element of risk involved in the activity
  • Will follow the advice and instructions of the organiser – particularly in relation to the handling of boats, wearing of personal flotation devices, wearing of suitable clothing and any other equipment required during the activity
  • Accept responsibility for anything caused by their own negligence
  • Will not participate if under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or if otherwise unfit to take part
  • Recognise the safety cover provided is limited to such assistance that can be practically provided in the circumstances
  • Will inform the organisers of any changes to the support they need, or circumstances that impact on their fitness to participate

Resources:

The right facilities and equipment used properly

A lack of access to facilities creates barriers, disables people and makes activity less safe

The right equipment for your organisation will emerge from an assessment of:

  • Your facilities and venue
  • The sailing area
  • The capabilities of participants, volunteers and staff
  • The type of activity you deliver
  • Any local or national regulations to be followed.

The right facilities

It is important to consider the accessibility of the facilities and equipment you use to get people on the water.

The RYA ‘Assessing Access’ self assessment tool has a section – Getting on the water, that looks at

  • Routes to the launching area
  • Steps
  • Signage
  • Pontoons and jetties
  • Boats, aids and equipment
  • People.

The right equipment

Equipment can be for individual participants, or the support your organisation provides.

Participant

Support

Sailing – the vessel

Safety support – the vessel

Personal flotation

Personal flotation

Getting in and out of boats

Recovering people

Maintaining posture

Recovering boats

Controlling the sails and steering

Launch and recovery

 

Providing first aid

 

Dealing with incidents

 

Communication

 

Mast head flotation

 

There are many choices out there, both on the open market and bespoke kit. The right equipment for your organisation will emerge from an assessment of your facilities and venue, sailing area, the capabilities of participants, volunteers and staff, the type of activity you deliver, and any local or national regulations to be followed.

In choosing the right equipment it is important to look at the interdependencies. For example, if you already have sailing vessels that are heavy because of a lifting keel you will need to make sure your safety vessels are capable of righting them.

If you are bringing in new equipment, take the time to assess whether it is right for your operations, if you need to update procedures, and allow sailors and volunteers time to get to know how it is set up and used.

Within your own operations, when using your organisations boats there will be choices and decisions– what boat is best for a participant, buoyancy aid or life-jacket, what equipment or adaptations might they need to stay safe and increase control of the boat?

Assurance about such decisions is about

The Safety on the Water guidance considers a number of issues that are related to equipment and its use, including

  • Personal flotation devices
  • Straps and harnesses
  • Adaptations
  • Self-righting boats
  • Recovering people
  • Recovering boats.

For example, if you have participants who would be unable to assist in their own recovery if they were in the water, you may want to consider a wet net / hypo hoist / Jacobs ladder as one option for recovery. Or if you have boats that are difficult to drain if they fill up with water, you may need equipment to ensure you can remove large amounts of water quickly – a bailor, bucket or pump, for example.

Used properly

The right equipment needs to be ready to hand, in good working order and people need to know how to use it, particularly under pressure.

So, the following steps are important to consider

  • Maintenance
  • Inspection
  • Training
  • Set up and use guide
  • Pre-use checks
  • Damage or fault reporting.

A schedule enables you to detail for each type of equipment you have

  • What action is required (e.g. maintenance, inspection, pre use check)
  • With a given regularity
  • By a specified person
  • The records to be kept.

Training at its simplest ensures people (operators and participants) know how to use equipment – again a schedule enables you to detail what training is needed - with what regularity, delivered by whom and what records are to be kept.

It is important to keep the bigger picture in mind. It is as important for those crewing safety boats to know how to rig and de-rig the vessels they are supporting, as it is knowing how to use the powerboat they are in.

A model of showing the learner how to use it and observing them while they use it, before giving them authority to use equipment independently can be a useful start point.

Set up, pre-use checks and user guides are tools you can develop to ensure equipment is set up and used consistently every time. They may extract key information from manufacturers own operators guides, or in the case of boats - owners manuals and rigging guides. They can be checklists, videos, laminated sheets, or other formats. The key is visibility – are they readily available so that anyone using the equipment can check that everything is in place, knows what they need to do pre-use and the steps to follow in using the equipment?

Using equipment properly is a shared responsibility – before equipment is used

  • A committee may approve the controls needed based on a risk assessment
  • Checklists and user guides may give a framework
  • A team may set up and use the equipment using the tools and training they have been given
  • Finally, someone may carry out a spot check that all is well.

Of course, damage happens, and equipment develops faults. If you know about it, you can rectify it and learn from it to reduce the chance of it happening again.

The systems you have in place will reflect your organisation, what it does and who is involved. The process of training people, practicing skills, refreshing knowledge, reflecting on practice and keeping a record of who is deemed competent to use equipment on and off the water is a balance. Enough so that participants can be assured that your organisation has competent people involved using equipment properly, not so much that it is too daunting for staff and volunteers.

Dinghies keelboats and multihulls

Consider the equipment your require your dinghies, keelboats and multihulls to carry

Boat club sailors on winter day

Powerboats used for safety

Consider the equipment you require powerboats used for safety to carry

Proactive and reactive learning

Changes identified

Everyone involved in the organisation will want reassurance that you know how your systems for managing safety on the water are performing and that they have the desired outcome.

Observe and monitor your safety arrangements, learning as you go and implementing improvements when needed.

Paperwork, systems and procedures on their own are not enough. You have the use them, monitor them, and learn from them.

Look at what is happening proactively and reactively.

Proactively

  • Routine inspections
  • Pre-use checks
  • Observations
  • Paperwork checks
  • Analysis of accident and incident reports for trends
  • A critical friend to observe what happens
  • Seek feedback from participants and volunteers.

Reactively

Investigate accidents, incidents and near misses

  • Gather information about what happened
  • Analyse the information
  • Identify new control measures
  • Plan to implement new measures.