Tideway Scullers School Safety Plan
This plan describes how members of TSS should behave on the water to ensure the safety of all. It includes various rules for the safety of members and others, general club rules are published separately.
The primary safety provision is that you must ensure that you are safe when you are out on the water. Carry out a risk assessment taking into account the type of boat and the conditions before you go out. Have a plan for the outing to include where you might turn and any possible hazards, and the effect of any likely changes in tide, wind, light, strong flow or other factors. It is up to you to assess (or your coach in the case of juniors or inexperienced scullers) whether it is safe to go out,. The following rules are to be followed but it is YOUR prime responsibility to be safe.
The safety rules are developed by the Club Water Safety Adviser. The name of the CWSA and Deputy are posted separately. It is the responsibility of the club’s officials and coaches to ensure that British Rowing’s (BR’s) Water Safety Code is followed, and that any breaches are advised to the offender. The club committee will support them by taking disciplinary measures where necessary. Particular additional rules are in place for juniors.
Jump to: General | The Rowing Code (PLA) | Steering Competence | Rowing in Darkness | Adverse Conditions | Clubhouse Safety | Petrol Tanks | Accident Reporting and Incident Reporting | Personal Safety | Safety Assessment and Advisor at Training Camps and Regattas | Equipment
General
The club’s advice is that adult single scullers should go out in pairs for safety. If sculling alone it is good practice to ensure someone knows you are out and your expected time of return and to take a mobile phone in the boat with you. Juniors must be with a coach as set out in the Junior rules.
The BR Water Safety Code (RowSafe) is mandatory.
It is everybody’s responsibility to ensure that they have read the code and that all participants adhere to it.
Particular measures must be noted as follows:
a) Most accidents can be avoided by looking round regularly, always do so even if you are in the right place.
b) If you fall in stay with the boat, swim it to the side or wait for help. NEVER try to swim to the bank without your boat.
c) All coxes, coaches and other launch occupants must wear lifejackets.
d) Safety Bags will be carried in all launches.
e) Boats must be checked for safety before going afloat.
f) No Club boat may be used without the Captain’s, Chief Coach’s or other Coach’s permission.
g) All members must be competent swimmers.
The Rowing Code (PLA)
All those in charge of a boat going out from TSS must read and understand the “The Tideway Code” published by the PLA which is the standard code of practice for rowing and paddling safely on the tidal Thames.
The following Points for Caution and Danger must be taken into account:
a) All boats must be launched with the bows into the tidal flow.
b) All boats returning must come into the shore against the tidal flow.
c) After launching on the Ebb Tide paddle to the far end of the wall above MAA before crossing to the Surrey bank or turning to go towards Hammersmith.
d) When launching on a Flood tide paddle past the Boat race finish post before turning if heading towards Richmond. Then proceed at a decent pace through the bridge, do not do warm up exercises through it as you will baulk crews coming up river with the stream.
e) The Hazards around Kew Road Bridge (Kew Pier and the moored boats upstream).
f) The Hazard upstream of Brentford Dock. Two large Buoys near together, and sometimes a barge, plus another Buoy closer to Kew Bridge.
g) The official crossing points below Dukes Meadows and at the ship, and at Syon Park.
h) Approaching the line of boats (Black Buoy) at Putney.
i) When going with the stream you MUST be on the Starboard side of the main stream and pass boats coming the other way with your Port side to their Port side. You do not have the right to be in the middle of the stream unless the river is closed. For those who do not know Port is the side with the Red scull or oar (if you find this difficult, remember Port Wine is Red).
j) When turning below TSS do not get in the way of crews crossing at the Ship. Either turn close to the club or below the brewery.
k) When turning into the current or crossing watch out for crews coming downstream. They will come towards you on the fast flowing stream much faster than you think.
l) Never turn close upstream of a bridge. It is very easy to get swept onto it.
m) Never turn in rough water, go further until it is smooth enough to be able to turn without shipping water.
n) Take extra care at the turn of the tide. Keep a careful eye on bridge piers and buoys to tell which way the stream is flowing and steer accordingly. Watch out for others who have not noticed the tide has turned. Always steer in accordance with the stream direction NOT the tide tables.
Steering Competence
All members wishing to steer any boat must be competent to do so. TSS seeks to ensure this in two ways:
All members are part of a group which has a coordinator. In order to be able to steer a boat from TSS the coordinator must declare that they believe this person is safe to do so in writing to the safety adviser.
Members wishing to steer any boat (singles included) must follow this link to take the steering test . The pass mark is 36 out of 41.
Rowing in Darkness
Rowing/Sculling in the dark is dangerous and is not encouraged. Unaccompanied outings are viewed as unwise, but in any event crews and scullers must carry out their own assessment of the risks involved.
a) White Lights must be displayed, attached to the Bow and Stern to give 360 degrees visibility. (Coloured lights are NOT permitted, the bow light MUST be a flashing light.)
b) No Club Sculling or Coxless Boats may go afloat, unless accompanied by a launch.
c) All launches to carry Red (port), Green (starboard) and White Lights (two), one on the stern.
d) Lighting up times and sunrise are as published in the press.
e) If a light fails during an outing, fix it or return immediately to the Club.
Adverse Conditions
If the conditions on the river are bad the safety adviser or coaches will assess the conditions and advise all members of whether it is safe or not either verbally or by a notice on the Club notice board. If no coach or adviser is present then a senior member or coach should decide and advise others. Conditions likely to cancel/postpone outings are:
a) Strong winds and rough water.
b) Extreme cold (wind chill factor).
c) Fog.
d) Official Head races.
Safety at Clubhouse
a) All launches when not in use are to be parked away from main area outside boathouse doors.
b) When boat slings are not being used they should be stacked against boathouse wall. Do not leave them out on the gravel forecourt as this can cause accidents.
c) When you have washed your boat, replace hose-pipe and bucket outside boathouse.
Petrol Tanks
ALL launch petrol tanks must be stored in the metal bunker, located under the arches, when not in use. Petrol must not be stored in the Clubhouse.
Accident Reporting and Incident Reporting
Under the Code all accidents and incidents (ie where an accident might have happened) must be reported to BR using the on line forms on the BR website from within your membership account.
Personal Safety
The river Thames can carry various diseases. All those who have been on the river must wash when they come in. When boating you should wear something on your feet, glass or sharp objects on the foreshore can lead to cuts which can be infected. If you have open cuts on your legs or feet try to keep them dry and covered as much as possible and wash them when you come off the water.
Safety Assessment and Advisor at Training Camps and Regattas
Whenever TSS single scullers or crews are boating away from TSS a Safety Adviser must be appointed from the group. The Safety Adviser must:
a) Ensure local safety hazards are identified by carrying out a risk assessment (or adopting a local one) and communicated to all those members present.
b) Assess weather conditions and decide, whatever an event organiser may say, whether it is safe to boat or not, and to only allow boating when it is safe to do so.
c) Ensure that the relevant safety rules are followed.
Equipment
All boats blades and launches should be checked before use that it is fully functional, any that are not should be marked Do Not Use with a tag obtainable from the coaches office and reported in the TSS Boat Repair / Damage Log .
Lifejackets are stored in the drying room and must be returned there after use. They must be similarly checked, and marked if unsafe before use. Lifejackets will be checked by the Safety Adviser at 6 month intervals and marked as checked. Do not use ones that are not shown as checked.
Revised Nov 2023 Chris Williams, CWSA TSS