TEDDINGTON
WALBROOK RC
GENERAL SAFETY
SAFETY AT WALBROOK
Walbrook Rowing Club is committed to keeping members safe on the water and when engaged in rowing or training activities by following British Rowing’s Rowsafe Code.
We endeavour to meet this commitment by having a clearly communicated policy that is understood by members, coaches, and leaders in the club.
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The club adheres to British Rowing safety policies and carries out the British Rowing safety audit annually.
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All members are required to act in a safe manner around the site and take into account any potential hazards on the landing stage.
There can be over 100 people using the landing stage on a Saturday morning and as a result it is everybody’s responsibility to avoid injury or damage to equipment.
Please be on the lookout for unsafe situations and raise them as identified.
No club members is therefore allowed to take out a coxless boat unsupervised until passing the Steers’ test.
SAFE TO BOAT
Boating conditions for Safe Rowing
Club members are assigned to either adult or junior categories and assessed as to their rowing experience. Please check your experience level with your coach, squad co-ordinator or the club notice board.
This will help guide you as to whether you can boat or not under certain conditions.
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A risk assessment is done based on experience, type of boat being used, presence of a safety launch and or coach as well as river and surrounding weather conditions.
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The full Club Policy can be found here we recommend that all members have a copy readily available to review prior to each outing, whether being coached or not.
Those owning private boats are expected to follow the Club guidelines at all times.
SAFETY AT WALBROOK
Walbrook Rowing Club is committed to keeping members safe on the water and when engaged in rowing or training activities by following British Rowing’s Rowsafe Code.
We endeavour to meet this commitment by having a clearly communicated policy that is understood by members, coaches, and leaders in the club.
​
The club adheres to British Rowing safety policies and carries out the British Rowing safety audit annually.
​
All members are required to act in a safe manner around the site and take into account any potential hazards on the landing stage.
There can be over 100 people using the landing stage on a Saturday morning and as a result it is everybody’s responsibility to avoid injury or damage to equipment.
Please be on the lookout for unsafe situations and raise them as identified.
No club members is therefore allowed to take out a coxless boat unsupervised until passing the Steers’ test.
SAFE TO BOAT
Boating conditions for Safe Rowing
Club members are assigned to either adult or junior categories and assessed as to their rowing experience. Please check your experience level with your coach, squad co-ordinator or the club notice board.
This will help guide you as to whether you can boat or not under certain conditions.
​
A risk assessment is done based on experience, type of boat being used, presence of a safety launch and or coach as well as river and surrounding weather conditions.
​
The Safe to Boat Handbook can be found here we recommend that all members have a copy readily available to review prior to each outing, whether being coached or not.
Those owning private boats are expected to follow the Club Policy, which can be found here, at all times.
EQUIPMENT
Lifejackets:
No coxswain or launch driver or passenger will be allowed on the water without a lifejacket.
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Coaching Launch:
Anyone using the launch must either hold an RYA Level 2 Launch Driver’s qualification or have demonstrated to the Club Captain, Safety Officer or a committee member that they are competent to drive.
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The Launch Safety Kit must be in the launch whenever it is in use.
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Land Training:
No junior is allowed to use the weights gym unless supervised by a qualified coach.
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No junior is allowed to apply for use of a key fob for the island site
Juniors are only allowed to use ergos in the marquee area unsupervised.
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It is advised that adults using free weights should not do so alone.
INCIDENT REPORTING
No matter how careful we all are, sometimes accidents happen.
There's no need to be embarrassed, but for the safety of yourself and others, it is vital that all incidents no matter how small are reported.
Here’s what you should do:
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1. All injuries/accidents/near misses must be reported to someone in authority at the club: the Captain (captain@walbrookrc.co.uk), one of the Vice Captains or a Committee Member and the incident log on the official British Rowing Incident Reporting System.​
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2. Any incident involving a motor vessel MUST be reported to the Environment Agency, tel. 01276 454900. Make sure you note the name of the vessel, and obtain witness statements if possible.
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3. Damage to boats, launches etc must be reported by email (with details & photo preferably) to boatdamage@WalbrookRC.co.uk, and a "Do Not Use" sign attached to the equipment if you consider that it may be unsafe to use. NEVER – EVER put a damaged boat back on the rack as if it had never happened. If the boat is damaged it needs to be fixed, not left for someone else to find and deal-with. No one is going to be angry about a genuine accident but hiding it or not owning up is a more serious matter.
4. General repairs like heel restraints, poor shoes, wiring to cox boxes etc. can all be repaired by club members – so please do so. Please send an email describing the repair to boatdamage@WalbrookRC.co.uk so we can keep a record. We are all volunteers so please try and mend it yourself but if there is a repair that is outside of your expertise, please contact the Equipment officer (equipment@walbrookrc.co.uk) who will be able to assist. If you feel out of your depth, please seek assistance to prevent any further damage to the boat.
ROWING IN THE DARK
Rowing or sculling after sunset or before sunrise increases the risk of injury or damage to equipment and is limited to certain crews and boat classes as outlined in the Safe to Boat policy.
No single scullers may boat alone at night in any circumstances.
All crews boating during darkness or reduced visibility, should wear reflective /high vis tops and no dark clothing, with white solid light on the stern and bow NOT fastened to a rigger.
For consistency darkness is defined as before sunrise or after sunset.
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All craft must be properly illuminated.
SWIMMING IN THE RIVER
Juniors are not allowed to swim in the river or to play at diving/jumping from the jetty at any time.
Parents should note that coaches are not qualified life guards and are asked to impress upon their children that this activity is forbidden.
Juniors should not be on the jetty at any time unattended.
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In order to set a good example to our Junior members, it is also requested that Adults adhere to the No Swimming policy.