What safety rules should my child's rowing club have?

Rowing Canada Aviron's Rowing Safely document says each club is responsible for assessing the risks in its own environment and setting safety procedures. It expects every club to:

• Appoint a Safety Advisor to develop and run the club's safety program.
• Develop and display a local safety code covering the traffic pattern on the water, when a safety boat must attend, weather conditions in which rowers should not go out (such as high wind, poor visibility and ice), cold water rules, and rules for rowing before sunrise and after sunset.
• Keep first aid and safety equipment at the clubhouse: a stocked first aid chest, thermal blankets or exposure bags, life rings or a buoy and line, and an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Every rowing shell must have a white ball of at least 4 cm diameter on the bow (unless the boat's construction already protects the bow), heel restraints for hands-free release of the feet, and working single-handed release mechanisms where fitted shoes are used.

Coaches are responsible for the safety of those in their charge and should check the forecast and conditions before deciding whether rowers go on the water. Rowing before sunrise or after sunset is discouraged and should not happen without a safety boat.

Source: RCA Rowing Safely, effective 29 April 2022.