Club Safety
Rowing and sculling are outdoor activities so it is important to recognise that contending with difficult weather conditions, other water users and using different waterways is all part of the sport
Please remember that your club and committee are responsible for ensuring that rowing activity at your club is conducted in accordance with good practice. Ensure all your individual members whether they be rowers, coaches or other volunteers are aware of their individual responsibility for safety on each and every occasion when they go out on the water.
British Rowing has developed RowSafe which provides clubs and individuals with guidance on a wide range of safety topics, education and training. Your club can use this as a basis to develop safe practices and tailor them to your specific programme of activity on your local waterway. The Online Learning section in RowHow also has a module on Safety Basics that all British Rowing members can access.
For the clubs’ and the regions’ Rowing Safety Advisers there is a forum on RowHow, our online training resource, where you can discuss issues with people from other clubs and share problems and best practice.
Safety FAQs
I am a new Club Rowing Safety Adviser, who do I need to notify?
Please contact your Regional Rowing Safety Advisor (RRSA) to introduce yourself as the new Club RSA and ask for any further guidance. You can find out who your RRSA is here.
Your Club Management Administrator will need to update the Club Rowing Safety Advisor contact details on the Committee page in the Club Management system. This will notify us (British Rowing) that the details have changed so it is vital that this is done promptly.
They also need to grant you permission to access the Incident Reporting system. You will need a BR membership in order to be given permission. This will allow you to see all reports made by or concerning your club and will notify you when these reports are made.
If you do not know who your Club Management Administrator is, please email [email protected].
What key things do I need to know or be aware of?
Do speak with the previous Club Rowing Safety Advisor and ask them to do a handover with you. Please ensure they talk you through:
- RowSafe
- Incident Reporting
- The Club Safety Audit
What is RowSafe?
RowSafe is the British Rowing safety guidance. It provides lots of helpful safety guidance and will help to describe the CRSA role across the various topic areas. Your club should have a hard copy of RowSafe but it can also be accessed on our website here.
Incident Reporting
British Rowing monitors all incidents, and near incidents, to reduce the possibility of them happening again. All incidents and near incidents should be reported online via the Incident Reporting system within 24 hours.
Incidents can be reported by any member of the club whether they have a BR membership or not.
A copy of the report will be sent to the appropriate Regional Rowing Safety Advisor and to the Club Rowing Safety Advisor of the primary club involved.
Please see the Incident Reporting page on our website and the Incident Reporting section in Row Safe for more information including the responsibilities of individuals, coaches, the Club and Safety Advisors.
How do I submit an Incident Report?
As a BR member: log in to your British Rowing account and select the Incident Reporting button. Follow the instructions to submit your report.
As a non-BR member or without a log in: please visit the Incident Reporting site and select the option at the bottom of the page to +Add a report.
What is the Club Safety Audit?
The Club Safety Audit is an integral part of the affiliation process and needs to be submitted online annually before 30th November. See the Club Safety Audit page for more information.
