Safety plan – introduction

Safety plan – introduction and responsibilities

This Safety Plan consists of the following parts, which may be distributed separately. A copy of the complete document will be held in Race Control.

  • Responsibilities of Club / Regatta Officials.
  • Risk Assessment – Water Safety.
  • Risk Assessment – Regatta Field.
  • Competitors’ Safety Plan.
  • Diagram of the Course.
  • Regatta Field Layout.
  • Guidelines for Safety Boat Crews.
  • Guidelines for Use of Radios.
  • Guidelines for Stakeboat Duty.
  • Emergency Evacuation Plan.
  • Signage for the Regatta Field.
  • Thunderstorm Safety Plan.
  • Regatta Junior Welfare Plan.

Distribution

  • Regatta Officials (as listed below): Complete document set (via email).
  • Regional Water Safety Advisor: Complete document set.
  • Huntingdonshire District Council: Risk Assessment – Regatta Field; Regatta Field Layout; Signage for the Regatta Field.
  • Umpires (via Umpire Co-ordinator): Responsibilities of Club / Regatta Officials; Risk Assessment – Water Safety; Competitors’ Safety Plan; Diagram of the Course; Regatta Field Layout; Guidelines for Use of Radios; Thunderstorm Safety Plan.
  • Competitors: Competitors’ Safety Plan; Diagram of the Course; Regatta Field Layout; Thunderstorm Safety Plan; Junior Welfare Plan.
  • Red Cross: Complete document set.
  • Environment Agency: Complete document set.
  • Police: Complete document set.
  • Ambulance Service: Complete document set.
  • Clubhouse Regatta Notice Board: Complete document set, except Emergency Evacuation Plan.
  • Club’s Website: Risk Assessment – Water Safety; Risk Assessment – Regatta Field; Competitors’ Safety Plan; Diagram of the Course; Regatta Field Layout; Thunderstorm Safety Plan; Junior Welfare Plan.
  • Race Control Notice Board: Competitors’ Safety Plan; Diagram of the Course; Regatta Field Layout.

Regatta officials

Regatta Secretary: K Cooper
Club Water Safety Advisor: M Lycett
Club Welfare Officer: M Shorten
Boat Marshalling Co-ordinator: A Brown / S Fox
Race Controller:
Refreshments Co-ordinators: D Hellett / Joan Adamson / Wendy Hooper
Regatta Bar Co-ordinator: K Marrion
Regatta Field Co-ordinators: M Staddon
Registration Co-ordinator: M Hartwell / A Young
Safety Boat Co-ordinators: F Brazier
Stake Boat Co-ordinator: C Beale
Start Marshals:  S Williams
Umpire Co-ordinator: R Davies

Racing Control Committee

M Staddon, C Emmerson, R Davies, A Young, M Lycett

Race Committee

R Davies, C Leaf, H Knowles, S Clark, J Cotgrove

Responsibilities of Club / Regatta Officials

Regatta Secretary

  • Overall coordination of the regatta.
  • With regard to this safety plan, ensure that responsibilities have been delegated to specific individuals.
  • Arrange first aid cover.
  • Notify the Environment Agency, Great Ouse Boating Association and marinas.
  • Arrange for the course to be laid out as identified in the plan.
  • Arrange for weather protection for regatta officials and umpires.
  • Arrange for St Neots Rowing Club boats for use during the regatta are transferred to the Regatta Field prior to the commencement of racing each day (delegated to Captain).
  • Issue blank British Rowing (BR) Rowing Competition Medical Return Forms to Red Cross staff, and collect completed forms at end of Regatta (for Entries Secretary).
  • Ensure a list of regatta officials mobile phone numbers is produced and distributed.

Club Water Safety Advisor

  • Prepare the Regatta Safety Plan and present it to the Race Committee / Regatta Committee for endorsement.
  • Distribute Safety Plan documents, as appropriate, to external agencies.
  • Oversee the safety management of the racing and related activities during the regatta.
  • Advise the Race Controller on safety issues that affect the conduct of racing, in particular, the need to suspend racing.
  • Process BR Safety Incident forms arising during the regatta.
  • Coordinate, where necessary, with the Red Cross.

Club Welfare Officer

  • Implement the Regatta Junior Welfare Plan.

Boat Marshalling Co-ordinator

  • Ensure that prior to the regatta, boat marshalling assistants are  briefed on their responsibilities, manual handling and the use of radios.
  • Provide assistance to crew boating and landing, particularly for small boats
  • Ensure that crews boat alongside their competitors.
  • Ensure that the public footpath is kept clear of crews waiting to boat.
  • Encourage crews to promptly depart from the landing stage and to make adjustments on the water.
  • Encourage crews that have competed to promptly remove their boats from the boat marshalling area.
  • Monitor the weather condition (particularly for thunderstorms and high winds) and the condition of the river flow, and liaise with the Race Controller as necessary.

Race Controller

  • Chairman of Race Committee.
  • Take decisions, with advice as appropriate from club and regatta officials and the co-ordinating umpire, on safety issues that affect the conduct of racing, in particular, the need to suspend racing.
  • Control the disposition and use of safety boats.
  • Ensure that prior to the regatta, race control assistants are briefed on their responsibilities and the use of radios.
  • Confirm the serviceability of regatta control equipment (loud hailers, finish horn).
  • Confirm the availability in Race Control of buoyancy aids, waterproofs, sun cream and gloves (for stake boat juniors).
  • Control the issue, and return of, radios and loud hailers to regatta officials and umpires (Include issue of radio to First Aid Tent.)
  • Monitor the radio traffic.
  • Regulate and advise the down stream flow of motor cruisers.
  • Regulate the flow of crews to the start, taking advice from the Start Marshal and the Boat Marshalling Area.
  • Take the decision on disqualification of a crew if it is inordinately late for the start (noting that the related safety issue concerns a crew waiting at the start in extreme (hot, cold/wet weather conditions).
  • Monitor the course for excessive water fowl and for river flotsam.
  • Monitor the weather condition (particularly for thunderstorms and high winds) and the condition of the river flow, and liaising with the Club Safety Adviser as necessary.
  • Ensure that stocks of food and drink are available to the start and safety boat crews.
  • Implement the Emergency Evacuation Plan.
  • Implement the Thunderstorm Safety Plan.

Refreshments Co-ordinators

  • Ensure that the food hygiene measures as identified in the Regatta Field Risk Assessment are adhered to and brief staff accordingly.
  • If necessary, initiate initial actions of Emergency Evacuation Plan for the refreshment marquee, and brief staff of actions needed.
  • Ensure Club’s kitchen first aid kit is available in the refreshment marquee.
  • Brief staff on manual handling and use of portable gas appliances.
  • Brief staff on the Thunderstorm Safety Plan as it pertains to the Refreshments Marquee.

Regatta Bar Co-ordinator

  • Brief bar staff on manual handling, the need to use gloves during assembly and disassembly of the bar, and the signs of gas leaks.
  • Brief staff on the Thunderstorm Safety Plan as it pertains to the Refreshments Marquee.

Regatta Field Co-ordinator

  • Ensure that there are sufficient stakes and tape, and the appropriate signs to mark out the Regatta Field in accordance with the risk assessment and site plan for the Regatta Field.
  • Brief staff on manual handing.
  • Ensure marquees are set up with: emergency exit signs, no smoking signs, first aid fire appliances, entrance guy-ropes fenced off.
  • Set up the Regatta Field on the Friday before the regatta.
  • On each regatta morning, carry out final set up of the regatta field and start area.
  • On each regatta morning, check the location of, and replace as necessary, any notices and other markings that have been displaced.
  • Ensure Race Control provided with: waterproofs, buoyancy aids (jnr and snr sizes), umbrellas, fluorescent jackets, caps and sunscreen, litter picker-ups.

Registration Co-ordinator

  • Provide safety information to clubs and to the Club’s notice boards and website.
  • Co-ordinate lost children and lost property.
  • Acting as initial point of contact for Regatta Junior Welfare Plan issues, and holding the list of visiting clubs’ junior welfare points of contact.

Safety Boat Co-ordinator

  • Ensure that prior to the regatta the safety boat crews are trained / briefed on: the use of safety boats, the safety measures and the use of radios.
  • Ensure that safety boats are appropriately equipped (see guidelines).
  • Ensure that safety boat cover is in place 30 minutes prior to the start of racing until 10 minutes after the completion of the final race.
  •  Brief the crew at the finish to warn Race Control of any flotsam in the river.
  • Brief the crew at the finish to warn competitors that are veering towards the moored cruisers.

Stake Boat Co-ordinator

  • Ensure that prior to the regatta stake boat crews are trained and briefed.
  • Ensure that stake boat crews have thick gloves and any necessary weather protection, including sun screen (delegate to Junior Co-ordinator).
  • Ensure that the stake boat roster is notified to juniors and their parents, and that its implementation is monitored during the regatta.

Start Marshall

  • Ensure that prior to the regatta, start marshalling assistants are briefed on their responsibilities and the use of radios.
  • Ensure that Race Control / Boat Marshalling is aware of any congestion at the start so that the flow of competitors to the start can be appropriately regulated.
  • Ensure that competitors only warm up and practice downstream of the start marshalling area.
  • Ensure that motor cruisers are given advice on how to proceed within the start marshalling area and control the flow of motor cruisers upstream following races. Being aware of the necessity to maintain separation of competitors from motor cruisers and giving necessary instruction to ensure that.

Umpire Co-ordinator

  • Co-ordinate the staffing of BR registered umpires.
  • Co-ordinate food and drink to umpire positions, if needed.
  • Noting that the safety responsibilities of umpires for the conduct of individual races are not detailed in this plan as they do not differ from the normal BR requirements for which they are trained.
  • Co-ordinate return of BR Control Commission Report on Equipment Failures forms to RWSA.