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Risk Management Focus
On 26 April, Surf Life Saving GB (SLSGB) in partnership with
the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
andwith the support of SLSGB insurer Sportscover, launched
a new national guidance document on the management of
event water safety.
The guidance document, a product of extensive research
thanks to the support of Sportscover and Derby University
was launched at the RoSPA National Water Safety
Conference to an audience of more than 100 experts for
further consultation. This consultation is now taking place
with a view to publishing the final document in the June
2012.
Esther Pearson, SLSGB’s Chief Executive has been the
driver behind the project. In the forward to the guide, she
writes,
“The publication of this guidance document is testament
to the commitment from those involved with water-based
sporting events to deliver the highest possible standards
for their participants. As the charity of 6000 volunteer
lifesavers, there are many calls on the services of SLSGB
lifeguards to support the increasing appetite for water-based
events, as well as supporting our own growing life saving
sport programme. There have been a number of occasions
that we and our members have been concerned about
varying standards of event water safety management, often
driven by the need to reduce costs and therefore cover.
This document aims to ease that conflict and create an
overarching strategic framework that sits across a variety of
sporting disciplines. Without the commitment to safety and
watersports by a number of leading organisations we would
not have been able to create this guide. In particular, the
research, authoring and publication of this document would
not have been possible without the support of RoSPA and
Sportscover, to whom we offer our grateful thanks.”
Touchline will be re-printing sections from the guide over
the coming months as we see this document as a major
development and step forward in helping to make our
beaches, oceans and waterways safer places to enjoy.
Although written with the UK in mind, the water safety
principles contained in the document are applicable across
the world.
On the following page is the introduction from the guide:
WATER SAFETY GUIDANCE
LAUNCHED