Safety Management W


Incident and accident reporting Category C first aid kits


e are sometimes asked why we are so eager to have RYA centres,


clubs and other boating bodies report incidents, accidents and near misses to us. Is it morbid curiosity or a yearning for a bit more administration to help pass our time? We are pleased to say our motivation is a little more pragmatic than that. With almost 2,000 RYA practical training centres in the UK and around the world, more than 700 RYA affiliated clubs and in excess of 100,000 members, the RYA has access to a vast resource in terms of the eyes and ears on what goes on, or goes wrong, on the water. We are not particularly interested in paper cuts in the office, stubbed toes in the changing rooms or bruised egos after an unsuccessful race. Our interest lies in finding out about serious incidents, accidents or near misses. In particular, we are eager to know about serious injuries and especially incidents where you feel there are lessons that others may learn from. In the


tragic event of a fatality you will need all the support you can get. We are only a phone call away.


What do we do with the information? In the immediate aftermath we provide support if needed. A serious incident afloat resulting in injury or worse can see significant media interest with club officers and training centre staff besieged by journalists wanting an interview. This is a daunting prospect to the uninitiated and the RYA Communications team is able to provide support in the writing of press releases and guidance on what to say (and what not to say) when dealing with the media. Our legal team is also on hand for general legal advice. Any serious incident impacts on those involved. Instructors, students or club members may well need some support and we can often provide guidance in these areas, as well as helping with the analysis or investigation of the


incident to identify the cause and avoid a repeat. For longer term analysis we log incidents and accidents to determine if there are particular trends developing. We communicate these trends widely across the sport and identify ways of mitigating the risks to our many instructors, members and the boating public. In some cases we modify course syllabi to ensure that key points are incorporated into our training. We are not seeking reports on


every little incident that happens on the water but we do seek your help in identifying trends in accidents and in helping others avoid injury or loss of life through the sharing of your experiences. Non urgent incidents can be


reported to RYA Training via the RYA switchboard during business hours or via email at training@ rya.org.uk. For assistance with urgent matters out of hours please contact our Communications team on +44 (0) 7789 556080.


I


f you are planning to order Category C first aid kits, be aware of changes which could


affect delivery times. The contents remain unchanged but new regulations from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency could lead to delays while liferaft service stations contend with extra bureaucracy. Service stations must now


have for a licence to hold and supply the kits, and the kits will be batch numbered in case of a recall. This number may have to be recorded for each purchase. Also, the expiry of the Glycerol


Trinitrite within the kit is to be three years from the date of manufacture, and will not include the current three month grace period, meaning service stations might hold less stock. Training centres should


contact their supplier for advice.


MLC: Don’t panic! T


he Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) came into force internationally in


August 2013. Its aim is to ensure the welfare of seafarers and it forms part of the work of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It applies to all commercial vessels, although there are varying levels of application for vessels under 200GT, 200 to 500GT and those over 500GT. The MLC draws together much of the legislation already applicable to commercial operators, eg. hours of rest and medical fitness, but also covers areas such as holiday entitlement, employment contracts (Seafarer Employment Agreements), pay and working conditions. Vessels that are required to comply with the MLC must be inspected to


www.rya.org.uk


verify compliance at least every three years. In the UK the MCA have delegated the authority for this to its code of practice certifying authorities (CAs), and this inspection will be carried out as part of the compliance, intermediate and renewal surveys. In general terms the MLC


inspection regime applies to all vessels ordinarily engaged in commercial activities. In the UK, for vessels less than 200GT, the MLC inspection regime does not apply to commercial vessels that solely operate on domestic voyages, ie. do not go overseas, and do not go beyond 60 miles from a safe haven. This means that a Category 2 Small Commercial Vessel that does not undertake international voyages is not required to be inspected for compliance with the


Centre Management


MLC. The underlying regulations, such as hours of rest and manning, must still be complied with but the inspection regime is not applied to verify compliance. The MLC inspection has 14


separate items, one relating to crew accommodation and construction standards, the remainder concerning operational elements such as Seafarer Employment Agreements. Only vessels built after the convention came into force need to comply with the build standards for crew accommodation. Therefore UK vessels built before 20 August 2013 need not comply with all 14 inspection items, only the 13 covering operational items. As the detail of implementation has been delegated to CAs it is important that operators contact


their CA to discover how they intend to implement the MLC. The RYA Technical Department manages the RYA’s CA function and has already contacted all operators who have vessels certified under the RYA. We will also offer webinars to centres to help explain the implementation process the RYA has adopted.


M-Notices covering the MLC for vessels up to 200GT: MGN 471 Maritime Labour Convention, 2006: Definitions www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mgn471.pdf


MGN 490 Maritime Labour Convention: Application to small vessels of less than 200GT that are ordinarily engaged in commercial activities. www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mgn490.pdf


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