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Safety Management Policy

1. Purpose: St Denys Boat Club (SDBC) exists to enable members to enjoy boating and paddling activities in a supportive, volunteer-run environment.

This policy explains how safety is managed across all club activities, and how responsibility is shared between the club, event organisers, skippers, and individual members.

2. Scope of responsibility This policy applies to all on-water activities organised through SDBC, including (but not limited to):
  • Sailing
  • Kayaking and canoeing
  • Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP)
  • Rowing
  • Motor boat use
  • Small Yacht Cruising
  • Shore-based support for water activities

St Denys Boat Club provides a framework for safe participation through policies, guidance, and risk assessment templates.
The Club does not supervise or control activities on the water.
Responsibility for decisions afloat, including whether to go afloat, route choice, boat handling, crew management, and responses to changing conditions, rests entirely with the named skipper of each vessel (Sailing) . or event Supervisor (Paddle sports)

It applies to:
  • Supervised events
  • Skippered Events 
  • Self-led events 
  • Informal club meet-ups using club boats

3. Safety Principles: SDBC follows these core safety principles:
  • Shared responsibility – safety is everyone’s responsibility
  • Informed participation – members are expected to understand the risks involved
  • Appropriate competence – activities must match experience and conditions
  • Proportionate control – supervision where required, independence where appropriate
  • Continuous learning – incidents and near-misses are reviewed to improve practice

4. Types of Club Activity

4.1 Supervised Events
  • Led by a named Supervisor / Instructor / Leader
  • Supervisor holds overall responsibility for:
    • Decision-making
    • Safety briefings
    • Event conduct and cancellation
  • Participants must follow the instructions given by the Supervisor
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4.2 Skippered Events
  • Each boat has a clearly identified skipper
  • The skipper:
    • Decides whether it is safe to go afloat
    • Takes responsibility for their crew’s safety
    • Assesses weather, tide, conditions and crew capability
    • Ensures the boat and safety equipment are suitable
    • Must continuously reassess risk and adjust or cancel the activity if conditions deteriorate
Note: Submission of a risk assessment or passage plan does not constitute club approval of the activity

4.3 Self-led Events
  • The club does not supervise activity, approve plans or assume responsibility for participant decisions afloat.
  • Participants paddle, sail or row independently but together
  • Each Rower, Dinghy helm or paddler:
    • Accepts responsibility for their own decisions
    • Assesses their own competence and equipment
    • Looks out for others in the group
  • The club’s role is to:
    • Provide a framework for activity
    • Publish template  risk assessments for participants to review and dynamically update collectively
    • Enable communication and coordination

5. Roles and Responsibilities
Club Committee
  • Maintain this Safety Management Policy
  • Approve and publish template risk assessments for leaders and skippers to use as a baseline
  • Support training and leadership development
  • Review incidents, near misses and feedback. This is used to update guidance, risk assessments and future events.
  • The Committee has overall responsibility for maintaining the club’s safety framework.

Event Coordinator / Organiser
  • Ensure an event is correctly described (supervised, skippered or self-led)
  • Confirm that a suitable template  risk assessment exists for skippers and leaders to update
  • Ensure safety information is visible to participants
  • The Event Coordinator does not take on skipper or leadership responsibilities and does not make safety decisions.
  • Event Coordinators must ensure participants are aware that they remain responsible for their own safety

Supervisors 
  • Accept legal responsibility for the safety of all participants during the event
  • Decide whether it is safe for the group to go afloat based on conditions, participant ability and equipment
  • Operate within the limits of their qualifications, experience and remit
  • Plan and brief participants on the activity, route, expectations and safety arrangements
  • Provide instruction or guidance appropriate to the event and their qualification
  • Monitor conditions and participant well-being throughout the event
  • Adapt plans as needed and be willing to shorten, change or cancel the activity if safety is affected


Skippers
  • Accept legal responsibility for the safety of everyone on board their boat
  • Decide whether it is safe to go afloat based on conditions, crew ability and equipment
  • Operate within their own experience and the limits of their boat and crew
  • Brief their crew on the plan, expectations and safety arrangements
  • Monitor conditions during the event and adapt plans as needed
  • Be willing to shorten, change or cancel plans if safety is affected

Crew / Paddlers / Participants
  • Take responsibility for their own safety
  • Operate within their competence and conditions
  • Use appropriate safety equipment
  • Read and understand the published risk assessments
  • Raise concerns if conditions or plans change

Children under 18
  • Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times on club premises and during club activities.
  • ​The accompanying adult assumes full responsibility for supervision, behaviour, and welfare. Club oversight is advisory only.
  • Children must wear suitable buoyancy when near the water or when instructed by an event supervisor or skipper.
  • Any safeguarding concerns must be raised promptly with the Committee or Safeguarding/Welfare Officer.


6. Risk Assessments
  • SDBC maintains  activity-specific risk assessment templates for Skippers and Supervisors to adapt on the day.
  • These describe:
    • Typical hazards
    • Expected controls
    • Participant responsibilities
  • Risk assessments are:
    • Reviewed periodically
    • Updated following incidents or changes in activity
  • Good risk assessments are person-centred and take into consideration the partisipants the leadership, and the conditions on the day. Skippers and supervisors are expected to dynamically update these risk assessments for every instance of an event.

7. Safety Equipment
Participants are responsible for ensuring they have suitable equipment, which may include:
  • Personal flotation device (PFD / buoyancy aid)
  • Suitable clothing for conditions
  • Communication devices (e.g. phone, VHF where appropriate)
  • Safety and rescue equipment relevant to the activity

8. Insurance
St Denys Boat Club holds third-party liability insurance for its Members.
  • It is the Skipper or leaders respnsability to ensure vessels have adequate third-party liability insurance for the intended activity
  • The insurance schedule can be reviewed here.
  • No personal accident insurance is provided.

9, Supporting Our Skippers and Event Leaders
St Denys Boat Club relies on volunteer skippers and event supervisors to organise and run activities.
The club provides an agreed safety framework, templates, and guidance. Skippers and supervisors are expected to apply reasonable judgement and take sensible precautions — not to remove all risk.

10. Skipper / Leader Authority
Skippers and event leaders are responsible for safety on the water and are authorised by the club to:
  • Set safety rules for the event
  • Require suitable clothing and safety equipment (including buoyancy aids/lifejackets)
  • Refuse participation where safety standards are not met
  • Change the plan, shorten the trip, add controls, or remain in sheltered water
  • ​Cancel or terminate an activity at any time if safety requires it

Safety-based decisions made in good faith will be supported by the club.
Cancelling or changing a plan is always an acceptable outcome.

11. Incidents and Near Misses
  • All incidents and near misses should be reported to the committee
  • Reporting is for learning and improving guidance; it does not assign blame or liability
  • Reports are used to:
    • Improve guidance
    • Update risk assessments
    • Share learning with members

12. Dynamic Conditions Disclaimer
Conditions on the water are inherently dynamic. Skippers, supervisors, and participants are expected to continuously reassess risks and are not bound by any pre-planned passage or risk assessment if conditions deteriorate.

13. Legal and Safety notes
  • Participation is voluntary, and members are expected to act reasonably and prudently.
  • This policy is designed to clarify responsibilities; it does not remove the skipper’s or leaders' ultimate duty of care to crew, passengers, or other water users.
  • Members and guests are assumed to understand the inherent risks of water sports and accept personal responsibility for their own safety.

14. Review
This policy is reviewed regularly by the committee and updated as required.

TL;DR – How we keep St Denys events safe and fun. At St Denys Boat Club, we want events to be safe, welcoming, and enjoyable. We do this by combining sensible planning with a strong “on-the-water” safety culture.
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✅ Safety is everyone’s job. Safety works best when it’s part of everyday behaviour — anyone can raise a concern, and concerns are taken seriously.
✅ Competent people are trusted with responsibility. Events are organised and supported by members who are suitable for the role. Where needed, we’ll step up support (extra helpers, smaller groups, simpler routes).
✅ People know what to do. We use clear briefings, simple procedures, and encourage training, practice and refreshers so people are confident in their role on and off the water.
✅ People choose to take part and accept the risks. Boating has inherent risks. We help members make informed decisions, feel included, and participate safely — whether as a leader, helper, or participant.
✅ Assurance = good judgement + good equipment. We aim to build confidence that activities are being run well — using the right equipment, kept serviceable, with people who know how to use it properly (even under pressure).
✅ We learn and improve. We review what went well, learn from near misses/incidents, and improve processes over time — paperwork alone isn’t enough; it must be used and improved. 
Safety Management at St Denys – How Events Fit Together Clear event type • Clear responsibility • Dynamic decisions • Learning loop Idea for Event A member proposes an activity or event. Event Type Defined Supervised • Skippered • Self-led — responsibility is clear. Risk Assessment Identified Appropriate activity risk assessment supports planning but does not replace judgement. Event Published Details and safety information visible. Publication does not imply supervision unless stated. On the Day Supervised: Supervisor decides • Skippered: Skipper decides • Self-led: Individual decides Dynamic risk assessment throughout the activity. Event Run / Adapted / Cancelled Plans change if conditions, people or safety require it. After the Event Incidents and near misses reported. Learning shared. Guidance updated.

Canoe, Kayak, Row, Sail, Paddleboard, Cruise or Motor

However you want  to get on the water,  you are welcome at St Denys Boat Club.  ​