Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines & Managing

your Beach

COASTSAFE

• Intelligent & strategic beach safety unit

• Collecting data on all Australian beaches

• Establishing methodologies and processes to deliver a safer aquatic environment

• Support for surf lifesavers and lifeguards, as well as land managers and developers

• COASTSAFE can help fulfill the smallest to the largest ‘Duty of Care’

ABSAMP

• Detailed information on Australia’s 11,560 beaches

• ABSAMP will soon be available to selected users online via Surfguard

The Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines

• Designed to inform coastal and beach managers and operators in providing a safer aquatic environment for all users

• Readily available guidance for– Coastal land managers & developers– Government authorities; Local and State– Lifesaving Service Providers– Lifeguards and Supervisors

The Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines

• A total of 9 sections covering:– Coastal Safety Signage– General Operation of Beaches– Lifesaving Services– Lifesaving Equipment & Facilities– Emergency Management– Storage of Handling of Dangerous Goods– Coastal Tourism Safety

The Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines

• The first edition is a consultative draft that will have an extensive consultation phase.

• Future editions will be released following ongoing input from interested stakeholders.

•Anyone interested in being involved should register before 21st December 2007

•Options for involvement:- General Consultative Groups- Specialist Consultative Groups- Specialty adviser - an interested observer

The Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines cont…..

The Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines

• If you would like to be involved simply fill in the form included with the Guidelines or go to www.coastsafe.org.au to register

Coastal Risk Assessment

• Qualified assessors / Auditors and competant

• Using the Guidelines, ABSAMP and other data, provide a report which details risks, and more importantly develop a plan to establish a safer beach environment

What does the ACPSG mean to your organisation?

• The Guidelines will provide a valuable resource for all land managers of coastal environments

• Implementation of guidlines will significantly limit exposure to risk and liability

• Now there is a single reference for solutions to your coastal public safety requirements

How your organisation can use the Guidelines

• Use the Guidelines to assess the standard of you coastal safety service provision

• As a reference for everyday public safety:– Designating the beach– Aquatic activity zoning– Flags and signage– Required Minimum Service Levels– Surf craft management– Marine stinger management

Using the Guidelines

• Administration and management– Service Operations Manual– Local operating procedures– Equipment design– Design of club & first aid rooms

• Competition– Aquatic activity management

Using the Guidelines

• Emergency Management– Joint cooperation with other EMS– Body retrieval– Emergency closure of beaches– Storage & handling of dangerous goods

The Guidelines and Current Best Practice

• Proving valuable guidance• Best practice from around Australia and

overseas• They are recommendations for voluntary

application to coastal environments in so far as they relate to public safety

• Underpinned by risk management principles

The Guidelines and Current Best Practice

The Guidelines and Underpinning princples:

• Risk Management

• Evidence Based

• Continuous improvement

• Stakeholder engagement; consultation and broad input