Clubs have a moral and regulated responsibility to report significant safety incidents, but just how do they do it? We look at a recent example from Moreton Bay, Queensland.

Most clubs have to respond to minor safety incidents most weekends. There is nothing unusual about a broken mast, capsized dinghy, or minor injury to a person. But when there is a critical incident, one that results in death of a sailor or brings national attention to the club, few committees are experienced with the practical necessities.

One of the more recent examples is that from the Wynnum Manly Sailing Club in Brisbane, Queensland. The WMSC was hosting a night race and there was an incident that resulted in the loss of life. The way the WMSC handled the reporting process whilst under pressure was thorough and provides a guide to other clubs if faced with the same.

When a major incident occurs, it becomes public knowledge quickly through the sailing community. Australian Sailing became aware of the incident early through the thoughtfulness of a local member who contacted us. Australian Sailing promptly reached out to the WMSC and found them to be open and accessible whilst dealing with the situation.

In summary:
1.    If there is a fatality be respectful of the police processes notifying next of kin
2.    Be open with sharing information about the incident with Australian Sailing
3.    Write down your club’s own actions for internal records
4.    Make your own firm statement on your website and social media with a clear message to inform the public and assign a single point of contact for the club
5.    Report the incident to the state or territory’s maritime regulator
6.    Report the incident to World Sailing using their online form
7.    Conduct an independent review reporting findings and recommendations

Whilst the WMSC provided verbal information to AS promptly, they were respectful of the family of the deceased and role of the police. The WMSC did not breach any of the privacy or sensitivities of that important process. This something any club dealing with a fatality will have to manage firmly; let the police handle notifying the family.

Whilst this was in train, the WMSC reported their own actions internally and applied normal governance by appointing a sub-committee to manage the immediate response and to clarify longer term reporting. This was simply to note what the actions the race committee took whilst the matter is still fresh in mind. A club should not underestimate how quickly the detail can slip from mind and writing things down before people forget is essential.

A statement reporting the incident to members was done via the WMSC website. This allowed the club to ensure its position and official details came from itself and express its concerns for those involved. If a club puts its own statement out promptly reporting the incident it controls its own narrative rather than the sailing community making assumptions and drawing incorrect conclusions. 

The next step taken was to report the incident to World Sailing. This was done online at https://www.sailing.org/sailors/safety/incident-reporting-portal.php. By doing this a description of the incident is submitted, and World Sailing have access to the essential information and contacts.

Finally, and still underway is a detailed independent review which result in a detailed report including recommendations. The independent review being undertaken by the WMSC is in direct accordance with World Sailing’s guidelines at https://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/GuidelinesforIndependentIncidentReporting-[24198].pdf. This reporting task is delicate. It needs a sensitive team to guide the process because the people who the review will speak with have all been touched by the incident. The team working on the independent review need to be aware that the police may be working with the coroner concurrently toward similar objectives, a report into the incident. That the coroner may be conducting their own report must not inhibit a club from producing the report as Sailing must take moral responsibility for its own safety and treat these incidents with the gravity deserved. The outcome of this process will be a report that may make recommendations to crews, clubs or Australian Sailing around safety management, practices, and regulation. Whilst too early to know what any recommendations might be, these reports are invaluable to the sport of sailing and its ability to manage its own safety culture.

Unfortunately, clubs will from time to time have to deal with a critical incident that may involve a fatality or serious injury. A strong culture of governance and a committee well educated in their responsibilities is vital. The process of reporting the incident is not complex, but it is typically done by volunteers who may have little experience but be operating under a lot of pressure and public scrutiny. Like the WMSC, we encourage you if ever faced with this, to be confident and do not hesitate to seek guidance. Follow the process promptly, accurately and with honesty.

For major incident reports go to https://www.sailingresources.org.au/safety/incident-reports/

By Glen Stanaway