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Safety - Should be a Specific Topic

Alan Saunders

By Alan Saunders
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Alan Saunders Rising Star

Alan Saunders

Posted
Posted

We (CWDF) have many threads related to safety that are posted under 'General Boating'. I believe that safety demands its own category.

 

We all want to enjoy boating on canals, rivers and estuaries, often with our families and loved ones, but we must understand and minimise the risks. Like many other pastimes (e.g. climbing, skiiing, flying, walking etc.) boating does involve risks that can easily be minimised.

 

The BSS Certificate provides some re-assurance but there are many other 'best practice' procedures that may provide a happy ending to a cruise.

 

Alan

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MtB Veteran II

MtBDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

I disagree. 'Safety' is too a broad subject to make a meaningful board title.

 

Half the threads on CWD would then have two places they could equally well sit....

 

How to install gas pipes? Safety board or Boat building and maintenance?

 

Kid falls in lock and drowns? Safety board or General Boating?

 

I just had a fisherman stick his rod through my bike wheel spokes and I crashed. Safety board or Fishing, Cycling and Walking board?

 

icecream.gif

 

MtB

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Beaker Rising Star

Beaker

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just had a fisherman stick his rod through my bike wheel spokes and I crashed. Safety board or Fishing, Cycling and Walking board?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

icecream.gif

 

MtB

 

No, Virtual Pub, Friday Joke. icecream.gif

 

ETA What the hell's happening with the quoting?

Edited by Beaker
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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

I agree with Alan - a "safety" or "safer boating" section would be a useful addition to the forum. After a good few years in the Fire Service, I have seen first-hand the result of people attempting to undertake "simple" repairs, maintenance or modifications to gas/electrical/solid fuel systems and appliances without understanding the implications of what they were doing...... (recent tragic events involving CO poisoning come to mind).

 

And as far as "operational" canalling issues go, maybe more experienced boaters think that "safety" issues are too obvious to spell out - but I bet everyone posting on this forum has seen...

 

  • Slips and trips over lines being left out after use instead of being made up neatly waiting for the next use...
  • The old favourite of windlasses being left on the spindles of raised paddle gear - just waiting for the ratchet to slip and cause the windlass to fly off at high speed (I've seen broken fingers, wrists & teeth due to this!)
  • People opening paddles and then wandering off to set the next lock leaving no-one behind to deal with unforeseen events (i.e drop the paddles immediately) should anything go wrong...
  • Children (or adults) opening lock gates for approaching craft by pulling on the side of the gate beam toward the water - thus putting themselves in an ideal position to be knocked into the water if (when) the boat hits the gate - usually straight under the advancing fore-end of the boat...
  • People attempting to stop a boat hitting an obstacle (lock gate, bridge, another boat etc.) with a boat-pole braced against their stomach/chest while standing against a bulkhead (clue: a 20-odd ton boat moving at 3 mph has a lot of inertia - picture a cocktail stick being pushed into a sausage...)
  • People riding on rooves/gunwales as the boat passes through bridge-holes or through tunnels then finding out that clearances are not as expected...
  • People steering boats through overhanging vegetation then getting an eyeful of twigs and branches...

 

 

If any accidents could be avoided just by making common-sense advice and the benefits of experience available to those who may be new to boating, then I think there is no good reason for not doing so - even if there are just "stickies" entitled "safety" in the appropriate sections. Just my 2p worth....

 

S23

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Chris G Contributor

Chris GDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

I disagree. 'Safety' is too a broad subject to make a meaningful board title.

 

Half the threads on CWD would then have two places they could equally well sit....

 

How to install gas pipes? Safety board or Boat building and maintenance?

 

Kid falls in lock and drowns? Safety board or General Boating?

 

I just had a fisherman stick his rod through my bike wheel spokes and I crashed. Safety board or Fishing, Cycling and Walking board?

 

icecream.gif

 

MtB

Mike

 

I completely agree.

 

Chris G

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BEngo Veteran II

BEngoDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

I disagree. 'Safety' is too a broad subject to make a meaningful board title.

 

Half the threads on CWD would then have two places they could equally well sit....

 

How to install gas pipes? Safety board or Boat building and maintenance?

 

Kid falls in lock and drowns? Safety board or General Boating?

 

I just had a fisherman stick his rod through my bike wheel spokes and I crashed. Safety board or Fishing, Cycling and Walking board?

 

icecream.gif

 

MtB

Another who entirely agrees with MtB.

 

Safety is only one facet of many things. Not infrequently it is not the most important facet either and these things do not all sit together comfortably.

 

 

N

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

"Safety is only one facet of many things. Not infrequently it is not the most important facet either and these things do not all sit together comfortably."

 

 

So what "facet" of canal boating - not usually a life or risk-critical activity - is more important than safety? Try explaining that to the grieving relatives or worse, when you're up before the bench accused of negligence or of being responsible for someone having an accident or, god forbid, losing their life....

 

The usual formula for risk assessment is Risk = Hazard x liklihood of occurrence x severity of outcome.

 

The waterway environment, by its nature, is fraught with hazards.

 

So wnen boating, the "safety" bit is about driving down the risk by reducing the liklihood of the hazard being able to cause harm and if it does, to reduce the severity of the outcome.

No-one is advocating elimination of the hazards - after all, you could reduce the hazard of drowning in a canal by removing all the water (copyright Phil Hemmin!) or just not going anywhere near it - but that would remove the reason why we go boating in the first place.

 

The logical thing to do is first to be aware of what the hazards really are, then work out how they can best be mitigated (in the example above, perhaps by providing non-swimmers with floation devices), leaving a residual risk that can be balanced agaist the overall benefit derived from the activity.

 

So to use the example of the windlass left on the spindle of the raised paddle gear, the hazard is the paddle ratchet slipping and ejecting the windlass. Reduction of the liklihood of slippage by replacing the paddle gear with a new, unworn mechanism is unlikely in the current climate. But, by removing the windlass when the paddle is raised, the severity of the outcome of the ratchet slipping will be reduced almost to zero.

 

All that was being said by the OP was that there are avoidable risks out there - I think that it's silly not to be aware of them so you can plan in advance how to deal with them safely. So it must be even sillier not to give those new to boating (or even those more familiar with it) a few tips that could potentially avoid unnecessary accidents, injuries or worse.

 

Remember - you don't know what you don't know and seemingly innocuous actvities (such as those I listed above) can have the potential to be very dangerous - if they are not approached correctly. Hindsight's a great thing but is not necessarily the best teacher of safety awareness!

 

Stay Safe,

 

S23

 

Edited by Speedy23
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junior Veteran

junior

Posted
Posted (edited)

The problem ( ok maybe its not a problem) is that if you ask a question you get 20 conflicting answers. That's ok when it's about safe places to moor in Birmingham, but when it is safety critical is it really a good idea?

 

I suppose that can still happen in any of the sub-forums, but I know what I mean. If it came down to a vote to leave it as it is.

 

An alternative could be a section titled "Ask the Boat Safety Office". It could be a pinned topic or a sub-sub forum within 'Boat Building and Maintenance'. I don't know if Rob the BSS Office guy would be up for it either, but perhaps he could find half hour a week to answer sensible questions on there.

 

For example I mean, the football forum I am a regular on has a sub-forum called 'Ask the Club'. Someone official at the club takes time out of their day to answer sensible questions on there. It is moderated and idiotic questions like "Are we going to win this weekend" are removed, however sensible questions like "when will the new home shirt be available in the club shop" will normally get a reply within a couple of days.

 

In fact here's the link.........

 

 

 

I know the BSS office guy might not have time to give complex answers to every question but he could link to the relevant documents/legislation where the OP can find their answers. This would be fact, and a lot safer than a free for all where people (with the best intentions) may post wrong safety critical information.

 

 

http://www.northstandchat.com/forumdisplay.php?35-Ask-the-Club

 

Ok heres the link above as I couldn't put it in my post

Edited by junior
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