Tasmania s experience on compulsory lifejacket wear

Tasmanian Waterways In the top end of roaring 40 s Tasmanian Coast line, with Islands = 4,882km NSW and Victorian Coast with Islands = 4,649km Cruising grounds - known as one of best in world

Background Prior to 1997 there were 5 different Marine Boards looking after Recreational Boating in Tasmania No structure; different legislation in different parts of the state; boating fatalities mirrored this dis-functionality Recreational Boating did not feature as a priority In 1997 the State Government established MAST as part of the corporatisation and amalgamation of Marine Boards

What was happening? 1978-2000 136 boating fatalities 1999 12 Fatalities Average 5.6 / 10,000 boats

What next? Tasmanian Government orders a safety review in November 1999 Review completed April 2000

Safety Review Survey to all registered boat owners and clubs 52.5% response rate - or over 8,000 returned Recommendations made included: Education Life Jackets not to be made compulsory Coronial reports analysed as part of review

What did the Coronial analysis determine? Victims were predominately male Over 40 years of age Most accidents occurred in 3-5 metre vessels Most accidents happened close to shore or on inland waters (This was confirmed by a national study carried out by Dr Peter O Connor in 1992-1998 & 1999-2004)

What else did the review tell us? The average recreational boater Was male (94%) and over 40 (75%) Went fishing Did not belong to a club Owned a boat less than 5 metres (80%) Went boating 11-20 times per year within two miles of the shore or in the lakes Over 40% of those surveyed indicated they had been in a situation that had given them some concern for their safety

Compulsory wearing - The Decision November 2000 coronial enquiry 5 fatalities in one incident 1999 Decision made to wear life jackets compulsory on boats <6 metres Media embrace announcement 1 January 2001 change to be implemented

Compulsory wearing - The Decision Regulatory Impact Statement not required No public consultation Why 6 metres? other safety legislation Legislation needed educational backup!

How did the change occur? The average boater needed to be reached the majority of stakeholders $10.00 safety levy for improved services to be added to registration fees Increased enforcement required Safety Kit posted including safe boating information and capacity labels Safety initiatives introduced

Communication Specific need to relate to and engage the boater in all aspects of boating 80% were non-club members Needed to involve Boating Industry Life jackets alone were not the answer to saving lives but, were the key to improving safety culture

Safety Initiatives Introduced Immediately Education schools, work place, community Flare and Safety Nights, Clubs Enforcement AGFEST Better Facilities Constructed = bigger and safer boats Phone Weather Service Boatwise (now 45 editions) Check list for older boats engine trouble shooter

Education School, Work Place, Community

More recent Safety Initiatives since MAST TV You tube 40 safety related segments Practical element introduced to licensing Cold water immersion education Paddle safe program Buoyancy program retro fit Industry staff training; phone app PWC specific education nights PWC endorsements

Paddle Safe Program

Provision of better facilities = appreciation from the boating public

What does all this add up to? A significant swing in the safety culture of the Tasmanian recreational boating public since 2001 Trust from the boating community towards the regulator Strong working relationship between regulator, Industry and stakeholders

Has compulsory wearing had a detrimental affect on the boating Industry in Tasmania? NSW VIC SA WA QLD TAS Registration % growth 2000-2014 33.24% 27.84% 19.37% 52.15% 69.29% 84.88% Ratio boat ownership/head of population 1:32 1:33 1:27 1:26 1:18 1:17 2001 1:25 had a boat 2006 1:19 had a boat 2014 1:17 have a boat

Fatality Comparison pre and post compulsory wearing 5.6/10k boats to 0.92/10k boats (average per annum)

1978 2001 2014 Average per 10,000 registrations 1978 2014

Fatalities by year 1978 April 2015

What has caused the decrease in fatalities? Better boat design More accurate weather forecasting Technology changes EPIRBS Improved infrastructure, ramps, VHF network Boats < 5m declined 10%; Boats >6m increased.cont

.What has caused the decrease in fatalities? A range of safety programs and initiatives Close interaction with the boating public to create a better safety culture Compulsory wearing of life jackets was the catalyst

How can we further reduce fatalities? Maintaining the safety culture and preventing complacency Inflatable Life Jackets and getting people to service, self check and fit correctly Greater education around inflatable life jackets and use of crotch straps

Why issues with inflatables? In excess of 77,000 in use in Tasmania Less than 2% service them With three* recent fatalities one the jacket inflated but floated over persons head; one the C02 cylinder appears to have been loose; one had not been serviced for 10 years and allegedly did not inflate fully and deceased found face down (*Still before Coroner)

Life Jacket Awareness Day 400 people

Life Jacket Awareness Day Importance of correctly fitting jacket What did we learn? Performance was far better with crotch strap If face down and arms out stretched level 150N will not rotate person in the water If face down and arms by side or dangling level 150N will rotate or invert to head up If face down rotation depends on what your arms do if unconscious and with what you are wearing

What has Tasmania learnt? A strong relationship between the regulator and the boating community and industry is required New initiatives and ways of interacting and communicating with the boating community are required on a continual basis

Summary If the average of 5.6 fatalities per 10,000 boats per annum for 23 years from 1978 2000 prior to introduction of compulsory wearing, is related back to actual registration figures from 2001-2014 then 160 lives potentially have been saved! Compulsory wearing coupled with other safety initiatives improved the safety culture in Tasmania