The navigation authorities have agreed to further extend the current waiver on BSS Certifications to 31 July 2020.
As BSS Examinations have been suspended since late March, there is now a considerable backlog of boats needing to renew their Certifications.
We strongly urge those boat owners who can, to book their Examinations as soon as their circumstances safely allow. This will help our Examiners to be organised so boats can be Certificated as soon as possible.
Remember that examiners are just as worried about coming to your boat, as you are worried about having them on board. It can be expected that boaters will need to sanitise the work surfaces of the boat, remove any clutter that obstructs the examination, and vacate the boat for the period of the examination. It will take some discussion, preparation and trust to achieve the result. We suggest to use an examiner that is known to you, or you have used before.
Following media reports about non-working, imported CO alarms sold on internet shopping sites, the BSS cautioned boaters that choosing the right CO alarm is an especially critical decision, as boats can fill within minutes, sometimes seconds, with lethal levels of the highly toxic gas. The BSS and the Council of Gas Detection and Environment Monitoring (CoGDEM) urge boaters to choose an alarm that has been independently tested and certified by the British Standards Institution (BSI). Look for the Kitemark on the alarm or packaging, or look for the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) Certification Mark. CO alarms certified to BS EN 50291-2 are the best choice for boats, but if you already have a CO alarm that is certified to BS EN 50291, or 50291-1, CoGDEM’s advice is to keep it, test it regularly and choose a unit certified to BS EN 50291-2 when it needs replacing. Some alarms are not recommended for use on boats and a list of recommended alarms that are suitable is available at www.boatsafetyscheme.org/media/294453/boat-co-alarms-may-18.pdf
The Boat Safety Scheme have today issued a warning on the dangers of carbon monoxide on boats. It reads as follows:
NR 001.17 Ignore petrol-engine exhaust fumes inside boats at your peril - it’s indicating your boat may be filling with carbon monoxide
If you can smell petrol-engine exhaust fumes inside your cabin or covered deck area, stop the engine, outboard or generator and get out warns the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) – you may not have any leeway to escape the threat of carbon monoxide (CO).
The call follows the publication of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report into the circumstances that lead to two people dying from CO poisoning on their moored motor cruiser in Norfolk.
MAIB investigations found that exhaust fumes from running the engine could blow back into cabin and fill the space with deadly levels of the poison gas within seconds.
BSS manager, Graham Watts’ said:
‘CO is a colourless, odourless gas, hence the well-known silent killer tag, but you can smell the fumes from the exhaust, so that is why our advice is simple if there are petrol-engine exhaust fumes in the cabin or enclosed crew area, don’t delay, stop the source, get to safety and ventilate the boat – hesitate and people could suffer.
‘The MAIB research and tests were eye-opening. Petrol-engine exhaust gases contain huge levels of CO and the investigation shows just how quick deadly levels of CO can develop.
‘Whether moving or moored, under certain engine-running conditions and-or wind conditions, CO can be drawn in or deflected into the boat.
‘Cockpit awnings can act almost like a funnel to channel petrol-engine fumes into the boat.
‘And in case boaters ignore, are asleep or cannot smell any petrol-engine exhaust fumes invading their crew space, boaters need the back-up of a working CO alarm certified to the BS EN 50291-2 standard.’
In June last year a man, woman and dog were found dead on their motor cruiser on Wroxham Broad which had its petrol engine running whilst on a mooring.
Five months later in November, another boater died and two fellow yacht club members were sent to hospital to recover after they too fell victims to fumes from an engine which was running on the moored boat.
Reports gathered in the last two decades indicate that at least 19 boaters have died and another 24 have had medical attention at hospital after inhaling the toxic CO in exhaust gases.
Full details can be read here
A public consultation on proposed changes to the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) requirements for hire boats has ended, the comments have been reviewed and the implementation date is set for April 2017
The BSS has issued a media release announcing that the proposed BSS hire boat requirements changes and will be implemented as set out in the consultation, with the main exception being the decision to implement the revised BSS hire boat requirements from April 2017, twelve months later than proposed in the consultation.
The Boat safety Scheme have issued a reminder on gas safety.
‘Let there be no repeat, boaters must respect their gas appliances’; says the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS).
Gas Safety Week 2014 will be 15-21 September and we should remember last winter’s twin fatalities from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning on a small commercial fishing boat in Whitby harbour.