Are yacht clubs "other marine facilities" for the purpose of the Port Marine Safety Code?

[tony_lavelle]

My club on the Medway has received a notice from Peel Ports regarding the requirement for harbours, marinas and "other marine facilities" to confirm their compliance with the Port Marina Safety Code before 31 March.
See https://assets.publishing.service.g...loads/attachment_data/file/930177/MIN_641.pdf

The question vexing the club, and possibly others, is whether a yacht club with moorings, slipways, jetties etc comes under this requirement. The RYA legal dept knows that clubs need to submit risk assessments annually to harbour authorities regarding events such as races, which we know about. The Compliance Manager who sent the notice says he knows no more than what is stated in the notice. Does anyone here know any more about this?

 

[pvb]

The notice says that the Code isn't mandatory, so what would be the consequence of ignoring the notice?

 

[shortjohnsilver]

Tony, that particular club and I know it well, can in no way ever be described as a marina! And, if the compliance manager for Peel Ports is disinterested, then as above, ignore. They’ll soon come knocking!

 

[TernVI]

You can find the PMSC itself, read it then declare that not much of it applies to you and that you comply with the few bits of it which could be considered applicable.
https://assets.publishing.service.g..._data/file/918935/port-marine-safety-code.pdf

Mostly it tells you what the harbour authority itself should be doing.
But some responsibility for safety and environment etc flows down to organisations like clubs.
Your harbour authority may well publish NTMs, byelaws etc which a club might want to declare that it follows and passes on to its members.
It doesn't hurt to be having a little dialogue with your HM.

 

[TernVI]

The notice says that the Code isn't mandatory, so what would be the consequence of ignoring the notice?

It's arse covering to some extent.
Being seen to have opted to leave your arse exposed can have consequences if anything bad happens.

 

[tony_lavelle]

Tony, that particular club and I know it well, can in no way ever be described as a marina! And, if the compliance manager for Peel Ports is disinterested, then as above, ignore. They’ll soon come knocking!

Agreed the club is not a marina, but is it "other marine facilities" in the view of the MCA?

 

[TernVI]

Tony, that particular club and I know it well, can in no way ever be described as a marina! And, if the compliance manager for Peel Ports is disinterested, then as above, ignore. They’ll soon come knocking!

'Marina' is a typo by the OP. it's Port Marine Safety Code

 

[Aurai]

Tony and contribution so far:

Thank you

There is a whole section on Safety Management Systems (SMS) in RYA on line guidance. They suggest three guiding headlines.

• Systematic
• Proactive
• Explicit

The saving grace in the Code (and H&S guidance generally) is that they only seek a proportionate response from us. However, before we send our email to PP advising our compliance with the Code, somebody needs to read it, check our facilities, do a short report, clear it with the Committee and press the send button. Dealing with any substantive findings on the way. I think that someone is going to be me.

cheers

 

[superheat6k]

The thing is with toilet paper you can buy Andrex or Cushelle luxury high grade, or Lidl / Aldi cheap stuff. And ultimately that's what all the Politically Correct Health & Safety paper work in this World is - toilet paper - wipe your arse with the document, after all it is nothing to do with safety, just covering someone somewhere's arse !

 

[penberth3]

The thing is with toilet paper you can buy Andrex or Cushelle luxury high grade, or Lidl / Aldi cheap stuff. And ultimately that's what all the Politically Correct Health & Safety paper work in this World is - toilet paper - wipe your arse with the document, after all it is nothing to do with safety, just covering someone somewhere's arse !

Come on Mr Dinosaur, try to enter the 21st Century. I usually find people who talk like this are old, stupid or a bit of both.

 

[Tomahawk]

Come on Mr Dinosaur, try to enter the 21st Century. I usually find people who talk like this are old, stupid or a bit of both.

How much of this C20 stuff is actually worthwhile and how much is carrying dead weight?

 

[Aurai]

Toilet paper discussions aside, everything in the Health and Safety arena in the UK requires common sense and a sense of proportion. Many of us live and work in very low risk environments and that can be both risk of occurrence and low seriousness of potential outcome. Hence no general need to have a detailed Risk assessment process. Something very short and sweet can document these environments.

The Port Code does stress proportion in making any assessment. I have now read it more closely and think we were on the wrong mailing list. The last people to be concerned by the Code are yacht and dinghy clubs on Harbour Authority waters.

The Code, and please feel free to read it yourself, is very much about keeping the UK open for business through its ports, appointing Harbour Masters, dealing with wrecks and so on. To answer the OP, I am pretty sure it does not apply to our Club. Leading to one final check as PP are referring us back to the MCA, to email the MCA for a view.