This safety policy was orginally written by the then club Safety Officer, Nick Smith in 2002. It draws on a number of sources, including the NZ Recreational Canoe Association safety guidelines.
This is not a finalised policy and will undoubtedly require revision in the future. Feed back on this policy can be sent to Duncan McEwan (duncan@mcs.vuw.ac.nz, phone 021-727-283).
It is expected all existing and new members to the club will comply with the current club safety policy when on a club trip. If any member has concerns that the safety policy is not being adhered to they should draw this to the attention of the trip leader and/or organiser.
The objectives are clear and simple:
A person with responsibility for others in the outdoors, has a moral obligation to provide them with a safe, enjoyable experience due to a high degree of care. Both society and participants expect this.
Legally, people (trip leaders and instructors) who take on responsibility for others (ie beginners) in the outdoors, are subject to civil and criminal liability under the Crimes Act 1961 and the Children and Young Persons Act 1974. Under this legislation, the Duty of Care owed to adults is governed by civil and criminal legislation and by sound common practice. While the nature of the care required will differ from that owed to children, the standard will not.
Every club trip must have a trip leader. This does not necessarily have to be the organiser. The trip leader's role is to ensure the safety of the whole group. The trip leader is to be appointed by the trip organiser in enough time for the trip leader to ensure the trip is suitably planned and has enough experienced paddlers.
Having a trip leader is a fundamental part of keeping safe on the river. Even a group of paddlers of equal expertise operate more efficiently and safely if the are co-ordinated by a leader.
Responsibilities of Trip Leader
The trip leader is responsible for 6 key areas.
1) The trip is suitably planned
2) The party is suitably equipped
On some (particularly local beginner) trips it may not be appropriate/required to carry all of the following gear. Nevertheless this list serves as a guide to what could be carried).
3) The party is using suitable boats
The boats taken on the trip should be of a suitable design to suit the trip and the conditions that it is possible to expect.
On beginner trips, instructors are to paddle boats that are capable of rescuing a swimmer on the back deck. For such trips, it may be necessary for instructors to paddle a larger boat.
Trip leaders should be aware of an instructors ability to get to a swimmer when they are paddling short boats. This is to be factored into the instructor/beginner ratio.
4) All members of the party have a skill level sufficient to cope with the conditions likely to be encounted on the trip
Factors to take into consideration include; grade of paddler, recent paddling experience, familiarity with river, proven skill level, known to other paddlers on trip, reliability of river rolls and in what conditions, ability to catch eddies of varying sizes.
Before paddlers move up a river grade, they must be fully confident on water below that grade.
5) Adequate Number of Experienced Paddlers
There must an adequate number of experienced paddlers on a trip to buddy less experienced paddlers, carry out rescues of all kinds including first aid, resuscitation and CPR.
The trip leader shall keep a good safety margin between the skills of the learners and that of the instructors.
ie A Grade 2+ instructor who takes a group of beginners down a Grade 2 river may have trouble coping if something goes wrong. A Grade 4 paddler in the same situation however will have no trouble if an emergency arises.
Be aware and factor in, that some instructors may be having an off day.
6) Proper Group Management is Undertaken
The object of group management is to keep the group together so that help is available if trouble arises.
The minimum party size is 4. In the advent of an accident, two can go for help, while the other remains with the injured person.
It also often takes at least two boats to assist a swimmer and recover loose gear. Additional muscle is handy when a rescue is required.
If less than four people go on the river, it is not deemed a club trip.
It is the trip leaders responsibility to ensure that the trip is started in plenty of time, particularly in winter, so that there is enough daylight hours to cope with the unexpected.
Allowances should be made for the season, collection of gear and paddlers, late arrivals, food stops, unfamiliar get ins, shuttles, briefings, group size, river instruction, experience of paddlers, playing, scouting, portaging, swimmers, rescues, boat recovery/extraction, hypothermia and accidents.
As a guide, add two hours to the expected trip time to allow for emergencies.
To avoid misunderstandings on the river, formal briefings are to be given at the beginning of all beginner trips, trips where there are new paddlers to the group, new or difficult rivers, and flood conditions.
In less formal situations, a briefing of some kind is required, as it may not be clear who is responsible for what. Indeed, some members may have completely different views on their roles. Avoiding misunderstandings is often more difficult when paddling with a group of friends.
In both cases, the trip leader needs to make clear to all members of the group:
The trip leader is to ensure everyone has a buddy before getting on the water, no matter the size, experience or organisation of the group. This is to ensure a paddlers absence in noticed immediately.
From this point on, as well as the normal responsibility for the other members of the team, each person is particularly responsible for the welfare of their buddy.
It is everyone’s responsibility to make sure their buddy is in sight and accompanied at all times. On no account should they be left behind on the river or bank.
If you have to leave the group for any reason (i.e. emptying boat, photo, toilet, etc), tell your buddy first so the party doesn’t have to stop and search for you later.
Everyone is to watch their buddy for signs of fear, hypothermia or excessive weariness. If their are any doubts, inform an instructor and the trip leader if possible.
If weaker paddlers in a group are feeling pushed, put them near the front of the group. This puts potential rescuers both up stream and down stream.
Regular counts of paddlers should be taken by the trip leader, as well as front and end paddlers.
If a boat is not in sight, those ahead must stop and wait. They must not continue into the next rapid until the missing paddler appears. If he/she fails to arrive after a short wait, head up stream to investigate.
If the group is large it may be safer to work in small groups of 4 or more. The trip leader is to nominate subgroups and sub-leaders. Buddy up.
Split paddles, first aid kit and throw bags should be in every subgroup. If there is not enough equipment for all groups, then the last group should carry it.
The designated end paddlers are to paddle in the last subgroup.
The trip leader before getting on the river, is to appoint experienced paddlers to the front and rear of the group.
The lead paddler has the following responsibilities:
The lead paddler must move at a speed that makes them visible to paddlers behind. They are to avoid small eddies which would hold only their boat, possibly leaving an inexperienced paddler to cope alone.
No one passes the lead boat.
It is recommended on easier/suitable sections of the river that other paddlers have a turn out front as part of their paddling development.
The end paddlers need to be a very experienced and equipped to deal with rescues of all kinds. These paddlers are commonly out of sight of others and if in trouble, will experience the greatest time lag before help arrives.
Two people are to take on this role, frequently changing places as back marker. That way they act as a team within a team - the buddy system.
The end paddlers are to be the last down at all times.
When in doubt - scout. Inspect any rapid that you can’t see down - never run anything blind.
Scouting should be actively done on beginner trips to explain features and lines and instil the scouting habit.
When considering to run a rapid consider the remoteness of the location and the availability and quality of immediate help.
The trip leader will need to decide what level of bank protection is required (i.e. throw bags).
For each rapid the trip leader must consider the consequences of a swim and the implications this has on the swimmer, rescuers and the rest of the group. Look at the whole picture before committing yourself to a rapid.
All paddlers are to be made aware of the risks of hypothermia in the briefing.
They need to make sure that they are adequately protected from the cold and wind. They also need to be aware that the party should be equipped with extra clothing, spare food and survival bags.
If a paddler is feeling very cold, take action to get off the river before the paddler starts making dangerous mistakes. In the early stages, in it’s mildest form, hypothermia can drastically affect a person’s judgement.
Early warnings of hypothermia are:
The following preventative action should be taken on all trips:
If the easiest way to evacuate a paddler from a remote location is to continue paddling, they should be made to rest and eat for as long as practicable before setting off.
No beginners should paddle on flooded rivers. Flooded is defined as higher than the normal river flow range. If the river level is at the high end of the normal range and there has been recent rain or heavy rain is imminent, beginners should also not to go on the river.
Paddlers who chose to paddle flooded rivers must be very competent (grade 4) and know the river well. You must have first class river reading skills and a bombproof roll.
Paddlers must realise that flooded rivers are an extremely high risk and if you swim, you are on your own. Flood conditions inhibit rescue from other paddlers and you will be moving too fast for bank based rescuers to keep a foot hold. If rescuers do get a line to you, the current will be too powerful for you to hold on.
The trip leader is to:
If the trip leader has concerns in any of the four major areas - 1) people, 2) environment, 3) resources/equipment, and 4) the activity, it may be prudent and necessary to cancel the trip at any time.
The distance driven, effort required to get to the put in, trip money, enthusiasm of expert boaters, unloading of gear and other so called "material" considerations are no excuse to overrun the concerns and decisions of the trip leader.
Guidelines for Beginners and Group Members
Club Safety Officer 2002
