When there is a fatality in sailing the club will need to provide information as a response to quite reasonable questions from authorities.

In the case of a fatality the matter will typically go before a coroner who is assisted by the police. The role of the police in these tragic incidents are to investigate on the coroner’s behalf by asking questions and seeking information from Australian Sailing and the club.

An example of questions we have seen asked or information the police were looking to learn are:
•    What all your personal details are and what your role was
•    What all your experience, training and qualifications are
•    How long you’ve been involved in the club
•    What the organisational structure is
•    What applicable insurance policies and coverage options are in place
•    What happened in the incident; detail about when, where and who was involved
•    If there are any photographs or footage of the race or incident
•    Whether you know the skipper or deceased, what your relationship with them is
•    What the race committee vessels were and their capabilities
•    What the wind, sea state and weather conditions were
•    Whether any vessels withdrew from the race and why
•    Who makes the decision to start the race and what their reasoning includes
•    What the post incident response was; what was done, when and by who
•    Was any medical treatment given
•    What guidelines or procedures were in place and how they were followed
•    Whether you have any suggestions as to what action could have prevented this from occurring

Some of the lines of questions are perfunctory and not difficult to answer. How a club answers the questions around what structure is in place, procedures and guidelines will demonstrate how organised and prepared they were. The questions around what happened and how the club responded will depend on how quickly the team regroups and makes notes; don’t underestimate the importance of the simple task of writing things down.

Further information on safety and risk management can be found at https://www.sailingresources.org.au/safety/risk-management/ 

By Glen Stanaway https://www.sailing.org.au/about/ourstaff/