The club's safety audit is available to download here in Microsoft Excel Format.

Water Safety Policy

Lea Rowing Club (Lea) is committed to ensuring, promoting and improving the safety of all its members, visitors and to members of the general public.

All Lea members are required to be familiar and comply with, when on club business or activities:

1) ARA Water Safety Code and Rules of Racing
2) Lea Rowing Club Safety Policy
3) Jane Blockley’s “Cold Water Survival”

A. Athletes

All athletes are required to have completed a membership form before taking part in any activities.

• Capsize and swim tests

All athletes using fine boats are required to have provided the Captain with proof that they can swim 50m in light clothing and must have carried out a capsize drill.

• Health
It is essential that you are in good health before you train. If for whatever reason your health is compromised then you should not train. Many injuries and illnesses will only improve with rest.

B. Supervision and Coaching

• Qualification and Experience

The club would prefer to have formally qualified coaches, however it is fortunate to have many members who have years of coaching experience.
It is expected that new coaches will work towards the ARA coaching awards when the opportunity arises. Those new to coaching should do so in partnership with an experienced coach.
The club maintains a list of all coaches and their qualifications which is posted in the gym.

• Ratio; rowers to coach and boat suitability.

The main considerations in this respect are 1) the level of competence of the target group, 2) their ages and 3) the types of boats in use. New novices need close and constant supervision. To this end a maximum of four new novices to one coach will be applied. This may include coaching from the Cox seat. As competence rises this ratio can be expanded.
Suitable experienced individuals and crews are allowed to row unsupervised with the permission of the Captain. Single scullers in particular must be highly competent before they will be allowed to take to the water on their own.

• Gymnasium

In order to prevent accidents all equipment must be put away after use. Posters to this effect have been displayed on the walls. Juniors may only use the gymnasium when a suitably experienced person is on site to supervise them.

Use of weights by one person on their own, including adults, is strictly prohibited.

C. Conditions

There can be significant variations in water conditions and a number of factors must be taken into account when deciding whether it is safe to go afloat.

You should consider:

a) Experience of crew/sculler
b) Boat types
c) River height and flow
d) Debris
e) Number of other river users

Weather conditions play a large role in safety decisions:

a) Lightning – Very Dangerous. A condition to be avoided.

b) Wind – can affect the manoeuvrability of bats, especially when trying to turn. High wind conditions. High winds can lead to waves, particularly when the wind is against the stream, however on the Lea this does not generally lead to swamping conditions.
Inexperienced crews should not boat.

c) Rain – presents an insignificant risk to safety.

d) Temperature – High temperatures can lead to Hyperthermia, while low temperatures can result in Hypothermia. Individuals should dress appropriately for the conditions, particular attention should be paid to what coxes wear.

e) Water temperature – In winter this is low. If you capsize then you will lose heat rapidly, so you should get your body out of the water as quickly as possible.
All rowers and coxes must have completed a swim test and capsize drill. All coaches are to carry throwlines, to ensure that rescue can be prompt. There are space blankets in each of the First Aid kits. (Main boathouse, Junior shed and gym).

f) Fog/mist- sometimes a problem particularly in the Autumn. Rowing boats move quietly and therefore in such conditions, when sound is even more muffled, boating can be hazardous.
Before boating you must be able to se the Novice bend, at the height which you will be sitting in the boat.

D. Light and visibility

Rowing in the dark is potentially dangerous. Inexperienced crews will not be allowed to boat after sunset. Experienced crews will be allowed to row in good conditions if the correct lights are fitted to the boats. (Lights fitted to rowers or coxswains are inadequate).

E. Equipment

• Safety

The Water Safety Code requires that all boats carry certain items for the safety of the crew.

a) Heel restraints – to enable fast exit from the boat in the event of capsize
b) bow balls – to offer some protection in the event of a collision
c) Under-seat buoyancy – hatch covers must be secure, to prevent swamping in adverse conditions.

If any of the above are defective the boat MUST NOT BE USED until they have been fixed.

• Integrity

Any damage or equipment defects are to be recorded in the damage book. If a boat is unsafe to be used or would sustain further damage through use it should be quarantined by being placed in the workshop bay.

• Life Jackets

All coxswains must wear lifejackets or buoyancy aids. (It is not possible at present for rowers to be similarly equipped as a life jacket would interfere with the rowing stroke. If one becomes available that does not interfere with rowing, then this will be looked into by the committee). Only lifejackets may be used in bow loaders.

Lifejackets must be used by all occupants of coaching launches.

The integrity of lifejackets and buoyancy aids should be checked at regular intervals.

F. Access and Egress

The landing stage is of concrete and wood construction. Particular care should be taken on the landing stage when it is wet, covered in swan droppings, or icy.

G. Emergency Procedures

• Rescue Methods

Basic tuition is given to all candidates on coaching courses and information is to be found in the ARA Water Safety Code. However is of great importance for all coaches o be familiar with and practice methods of rescue. In particular the use of throwlines should be practised.

• Rescue Equipment.

Throw lines are located in the Junior Shed and in the main boat bay. All coaches should carry them. Life buoys located along the river can not be relied upon to be present.

• First Aid

First Aid kits are located in the Main boathouse, junior shed and gym. The contents of these is checked regularly. If you need to use them, you should note on the form provided in the First Aid kit what you have used. A list of qualified First Aiders is provided next to each First Aid kit. Each First Aid kit, contains sufficient space blankets to be used by an Eight if it has capsized.

• Phones

It is expected that most members will have their own mobile phones. There are landlines located in the Boathouse Café, bar and office.

H. Notes on Navigating the Lea Navigation Canal.

In general when planning a training session you should bear in mind that crews should not spin within 50m of bridges or bends. With the exception of the footbridge immediately below the club and at Lathams. There is no overtaking or spinning between the footbridge below the club and the sea scouts hut and between Lathams and the curtains.

1. The River Lea is lock-controlled and, hence, non-tidal. This means that the height of the water does not vary very much and that the flow is always down stream. Downstream is, standing in front of the boathouse facing the river, to the right.
THE COURSE

2. The rule of the river is to travel on the right. The stretch normally available for rowing is from Tottenham Lock upstream to Old Ford Lock downstream.

3. Taking the full course down the river, most crews start at the fork blow Tottenham Lock which is a turning point. The right fork is almost un-navigable and the left fork is much used by anglers.

4. The first obstacle downstream is a railway bridge which is narrow on the left. Crews coming upstream should watch out for crews coming down, and should also not get too close with their blades to the upstream wall of the bridge as there are some minor underwater obstacles there.

5. Following the bridge there is a long left-hand bend, known as the Novice Bend. Crews should take care to stay on their proper sides of the river to avoid collisions.

6. There is then a long stretch down to the Boathouse. On Saturday mornings there may be children learning to row on this stretch, and care should be taken since they are inexperienced and could be easily panicked. Also, try to give the landing stage a wide berth to boats at the landing stage with blades sticking out into the water.

7. There are two footbridges below the boathouse and immediately after the second one there is a left hand S bend. Watch out for tree branches growing out over the river on the right hand side, and on the next corner is the Canoe Centre. Allowance should be made here for canoeists going afloat, especially on Saturday mornings when children are going afloat under instruction. It is not normally possible to go at speed round this bend, and crew should take care to remain on their proper sides of the river.

8. Next comes a railway bridge, and further on a footbridge followed by a right hand bend. Care should be taken round this bend since crews often turn here.

9. There is then a left hand S bend under Lea Bridge Road, and this stretch is popular with anglers. The anglers should be treated with care and courtesy.

10. Fifty yards downstream are some former sluice gates known as the Curtains. A sweep oared boat cannot row through these arches and it will be necessary to line up with the centre of the arch, stop, pull the blades inboard and then drift through. Crews coming up should try and use the right hand arch if it is unobstructed. If they intend to use the downstream arch they should give way to crews coming through from upstream.

11. From here there is a long stretch leading to Old Ford. This stretch is a little n arrow in places, especially with three bridges which are narrow on the right hand side. The rule of the river is that traffic going downstream i.e. towards Old Ford have right of way. However, by agreement within the club we give way to rowing craft and canoeists racing upstream. However, crews racing upstream must give way to any non-rowing craft heading downstream.

LANDING STAGE

12. Crews going afloat must always go away from the landing stage downstream, and they should boat as far downstream on the landing stage as possible, so as to allow other crews to boat behind them and to allow room for crews coming in. Blocking the centre of the landing stage makes it difficult for crews waiting to land. Before pushing off watch out for crews behind them.

Crews coming in from downstream must row up past the boathouse until the 100m mark and then turn across the river upstream, watching out both for crews coming behind them and crews coming downstream towards them.