Roles and Responsibilities

SWYRA Responsibilities:

The South West Coast Yawl Rowing Association has the responsibility to develop and maintain a culture of safe practice in rowing and to support everyone involved in the sport in their efforts to achieve this. For this purpose the SWCYRA Committee will appoint a specific individual as the Association Safety Co-ordinator to take the lead in promoting safe practice, but such an appointment does not remove the accountability for safety from the Officers and Committee members of the SWCYRA. Primary responsibility for safety at each event during the season rests with the officers of the organizing committee of that specific event however the SWCYRA has a responsibility to ensure that requirements laid down by the association are being met. To ensure that each event is organized in line with the Association’s safety policy a pre event check-list has been devised (Appendix 1.). The SWCYRA Officers and Committee members through the Safety Co-ordinator must ensure that this check-list is completed prior to each event and is available, as part of the Association’s safety file should it be required.

Club Responsibilities:

Clubs have a responsibility for the safety of their members and for the development of a culture of safety in all activities associated with rowing. The primary responsibility for ensuring safe practice within a club lies with the Club Officers and the Club Committee. The Club Committee should appoint a specific individual as a Club Safety Adviser to take the lead in promoting safe practice, but such an appointment does not remove the accountability for safety from the Officers and Committee members. In this respect every member of a club has an important part to play. A Club Safety Adviser must not be see as the only person responsible for safety but rather the person who can advise the Committee and work with the Captain, Officers, coaches and others to identify and respond to safety issues by adopting minimum standards of good practice. If, for any reason, a Club Safety Adviser is not appointed or does not adequately perform this advisory function the accountability for the provision of adequate safety remains with the Officers and Committee. The nature and size of clubs varies enormously and this will influence how a club manages safety and addresses the various issues. The approach taken by the club is therefore dictated by the way the Officers and Committee decide to manage Safety.

Personal Responsibilities:

Everybody involved in rowing has a Duty of Care to ensure their actions both on and off the water are conducted in a manner, which does not compromise the safety of others. Adults also have a personal responsibility for their own safety.

Parents and Carers have a responsibility to keep clubs informed about any special needs, medical conditions or allergies that their child may have and to ensure they keep the club up to date with any changes in contact details especially emergency numbers.

Rowing can be safely pursued despite a wide range of medical conditions. Each individual (or the parent or carer) has a responsibility to fully inform their club of any significant medical condition or injury that could impact the safety of the participant. Certain situations may require that the Club inform the coxswains so practices and events can be conducted safely. A Common example would be asthma requiring self-administration of a prescribed inhaler.