Identifying Factors to Improve the Reporting of Marine-related Incidents in Western Australia RR 170

Transcription

1

2 Identifying Factors to Improve the Reporting of Marine-related Incidents in Western Australia RR 170 INJURY RESEARCH CENTRE School of Population Health The University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway Crawley WA 6009 Terri J Pikora, Heather A Williams 2005

3 INJURY RESEARCH CENTRE DOCUMENT RETRIEVAL INFORMATION Report No. Project No. Date Pages ISBN RR August Title Identifying factors to improve the reporting of marine-related incidents in Western Australia Authors Pikora TJ and Williams HA Performing Organisation Injury Research Centre School of Population Health The University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway CRAWLEY WA 6009 Tel: (08) Fax: (08) Sponsor Marine Safety Directorate Department for Planning and Infrastructure, Western Australia 1 Essex Street FREMANTLE WA 6160 Abstract The number of marine-incidents in WA is under-reported. This study explored the reasons for this underreporting and identified why boaters do not report all the information on the Marine Incident Database (MID) report form. A total of 17 commercial and recreational boaters participated in an in-depth interview that involved a series of open-ended questions with recreational and commercial boaters. When asked about the types of incidents or mishaps that boaters thought were included as marine incidents, the majority suggested those where there was an injury as well as when property damage occurred and when there was loss of property or anything that may result in insurance being claimed. Similarly, when asked about the types of incidents they would report to an authority, the majority mentioned when there was any injury as well as when any damage had occurred. When asked why some boaters do report incidents that occur, the most common reason was when there was an insurance claim associated with the incident followed by the fear of legal issues. In contrast, when asked for the reasons why boaters do not report marine incidents the most common response was a lack of awareness that they have to, caution towards admitting a wrong doing which could leave them open to reprimand and infringement fines, and the fear of embarrassing themselves. When asked how to encourage boaters to report incidents, the majority recommended educating boaters about what and how to report incidents as well as suggesting that insurance claims should be linked with the completion of an MID form. The group of boaters interviewed were interested in marine safety and several had had experience with marine-related incidents. Therefore, it is of concern that the level of knowledge related to which incidents should be reported and the process involved in reporting incidents was low. This indicates that it is important to provide the boating community with information related to which incidents should be reported and how to report them. A follow-up survey is warranted to determine whether the issues identified in this report are similar among a more diverse group of boaters. Keywords Marine Safety, Commercial Boating, Recreational Boating, Reporting, ii

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES... iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... v ABBREVIATIONS AND GLOSSARY... vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...viii 1. INTRODUCTION METHODS RESULTS Boater characteristics Reporting of marine-related incidents Knowledge and awareness of marine-related incidents Reporting process Motivations and barriers to reporting Encouraging the reporting of incidents Access to the MID reporting forms Evaluation of current Marine Incident Report form Additional information provided by the interviewees DISCUSSION Findings Limitations Conclusions Recommendations REFERENCES APPENDIX 1 DPI Marine Incident Report Form... A1 APPENDIX 2 Invitation letter to attend focus (discussion) group... A6 APPENDIX 3 Introduction letter... A8 APPENDIX 4 Boater questionnaire... A10 APPENDIX 5 Interview schedule... A12 iii

5 LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Characteristics of boaters interviewed... 5 Table 3.2 Reporting of marine-related incidents... 8 Table 4.1 Marine-incident reporting requirements in Australia iv

6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Objectives The number of marine-incidents in WA is under-reported. This study explored the reasons for this under-reporting and identified why boaters do not report all the information on the Marine Incident Database (MID) report form. The objectives for the study were: To identify barriers to reporting marine-related incidents in WA; To identify ways that will encourage boaters to report marine incidents; To identify which items on the MID reporting form need to be modified to improve both the reporting of incidents and the quality of the data that is reported; and To identify whether there is a need to conduct an education program related to the process of reporting incidents including why it is important to report marine incidents. Methods A total of 17 commercial and recreational boaters participated in an in-depth interview that involved a series of open-ended questions. These questions included their perceptions about why boaters do and do not report incidents; how to encourage boaters to report relevant incidents; their suggestions related to increasing reporting of marine incidents; and their reactions to the current MID report form. Results When asked about the types of incidents or mishaps that boaters thought were included as marine incidents, the majority suggested those where an injury occurred, as well as when property damage occurred and when there was loss of property or anything that may result in insurance being claimed. Similarly, when asked about the types of incidents they would report to an authority, the majority mentioned when there was any injury and when any damage had occurred. When asked why some boaters do report incidents that occur, the most common reason was when there was an insurance claim associated with the incident followed by the fear of legal issues. In contrast, when asked for the reasons why boaters do not report marine incidents the most common response was a lack of awareness that they have to, caution towards admitting a wrong doing which could leave them open to reprimand and infringement fines, and the fear of embarrassing themselves. When asked how to encourage boaters to report incidents, the majority recommended educating boaters about what and how to report incidents as well as suggesting that insurance claims should be linked with the completion of v

7 an MID form. In addition the boaters were asked for suggestions of where to have the MID forms available and the most common response was for the forms to be sent out with the annual vessel registrations. When asked whether they had used or seen the MID form previously, more than one-half had seen or used the form before, while the remainder had never seen or used it. In addition, the vast majority thought the form was easy or very easy to complete, although the boaters made the suggestion to include definitions on the form and to include a level of seriousness in the injury section. Discussion The group of boaters interviewed were interested in marine safety and several had had experience with marine-related incidents. Therefore, it is of concern that the level of knowledge related to which incidents should be reported and the process involved in reporting incidents was low. This indicates that it is important to provide the boating community with information related to which incidents should be reported and how to report them. Recommendations The first recommendation is to follow-up these in-depth interviews with a survey among a larger number of boaters to determine if the issues identified in this report are similar for a range of boaters. Based on the results of this study: It is recommended that strategies to raise awareness of and to promote the reporting of marine-related incidents be developed and implemented. It is recommended that information related to reporting of incidents (such as booklets and pamphlets) and MID report forms are provided in a range of locations throughout the state. It is recommended that reports related to marine incidents are produced annually and should include both data summaries of incidents and specific case studies. It is recommended to explore the possibly of linking with marine insurance companies to encourage boaters to complete a MID form when making a claim. It is recommended that the items included on the current MID reporting form be reviewed based on the suggestions of these boaters. vi

8 ABBREVIATIONS DPI: Department for Planning and Infrastructure MID: Marine Incident Database MSQ: Maritime Safety Queensland NMSC: National Marine Safety Committee vii

9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was undertaken as part of the marine safety program of research conducted by the Injury Research Centre in the School of Population Health at the University of Western Australia for Marine Safety at the Department for Planning and Infrastructure (DPI). The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of: Alison Coates and Frank Jarosek from Marine Safety at DPI for providing advice. The boaters who willingly and enthusiastically participated in the study. The information contained in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding organization. viii

10 1. INTRODUCTION The number of marine-related incidents can be used to measure the level of marine safety within a community. The NMSC definition is used in this study to classify an event as a marine incident if it is caused by or involves: the death of, or serious injury to, any person onboard a vessel, or caused by a vessel; the loss of a person from a vessel; the abandonment, loss or presumed loss of a vessel; the collision of a vessel with another vessel or with an object; the grounding, sinking, flooding or capsizing of a vessel; a fire or explosion aboard a vessel; loss of stability affecting the safety of a vessel; or the structural failure of a vessel (National Marine Safety Committee, 2004). All marine-related incidents, including those where commercial vessels are involved, which occur in Western Australian (WA) waters that cause a serious injury or death, or when a vessel is deemed to be unseaworthy or incapable of being safely navigated, are legally required to be reported to Marine Safety at the Department for Planning and Infrastructure (DPI). A special form for reporting these incidents must be completed by the owner/operator and sent to the Department (see Appendix 1 for a copy of this form). As identified in the recent report into marine-related fatalities, injuries and incidents in WA, there appear to be a number of marine incidents that occur in WA waters that are not reported in the DPI Marine Incident Database (MID) (Pikora and Cercarelli, 2004). In this report it was found that less than one-half of boating-related injuries that were recorded in the hospital data were also reported in the MID. Although these injuries were considered as serious enough to warrant hospital admission, they were not reported to DPI. This was an unexpected finding and is of concern as the vast majority of serious incidents may result in a higher media profile, and thus come to the attention of Departmental officials. The level of underreporting is consistent with evidence that many non-fatal incidents are underreported in other jurisdictions for example Queensland (Maritime Safety Queensland, 2005) and the United States (Department of Boating and Waterways, 2004). Nevertheless, this level of under-reporting is of concern. It has resulted in the underestimation of marine-related incidents among both commercial and recreational boat owners and operators, and has possibly led to the belief that such incidents are not occurring on WA waters. There is also evidence to suggest that those boaters who do report marine incidents are not reporting all the required data (Pikora and Cercarelli, 2004). This has resulted in the 1

11 inability to fully explore the data to identify possible factors to target that may lead to improved marine safety (for example though education programs). The reasons for under-reporting remain to be determined and it is important to identify reasons why boaters do not report all the information on the MID form. Therefore, the objectives of the study were: To identify barriers to reporting marine-related incidents in WA; To identify ways that will encourage boaters to report marine incidents; To identify which items on the MID reporting form need to be modified to improve both the reporting of incidents and the quality of the data that is reported; and To identify whether there is a need to conduct an education program related to the process of reporting incidents including why it is important to report marine incidents. 2

12 2. METHODS The original plan for the study was to conduct separate focus (discussion) groups for recreational and commercial boaters. Using the vessel registration database maintained by Marine Safety at DPI, 250 recreational and 250 commercial boaters in the metropolitan area and a total of 160 boaters in two regional sites (Busselton and Jurien Bay) were sent a letter by the Director of Marine Safety inviting them to participate in the focus groups (see Appendix 2 for copy of this letter). Those boaters who wished to participate in the groups were asked to contact the researchers via either telephone or to obtain information on location and times for each group. Ethics approval for the study was obtained from the UWA Human Research Ethics Committee. It was anticipated that a response rate of 15% to the invitation letters would provide an adequate sample. However, the response rate achieved was only 2.4% among metropolitan boaters and 3.1% among regional boaters, giving an overall response rate of 2.6%. Due to this low rate, the numbers in each area were too small to conduct the focus groups so those who had agreed to take part in the groups were contacted by the researchers and asked if they were willing to participate in an in-depth interview using similar questions. None of the boaters withdrew from the study at this time. Prior to the in-depth interview being conducted, each boater was sent a copy of the information letter (example in Appendix 3), a copy of the current MID reporting form, a small token ($10) from a hardware store and a stubby holder as a token for the time they spent participating in the interview. Each boater was asked for their verbal consent prior to the interview and advised that they could stop the interview at any time and did not have to answer any question if they did not want to. A brief questionnaire was completed by each interviewee to identify the demographic and boating characteristics among those in the study (see Appendix 4 for a copy of the questionnaire). The interview schedule is provided in Appendix 5. The majority of the questions were open-ended to allow the boaters to provide their opinions and perceptions related to the topic. These responses were then probed to explore in greater depth some of the issues raised. The questions asked were related to perceptions about who reports and when boaters report boating-related incidents; perceptions about why boaters do and do not report incidents; suggestions of how to encourage those boaters to report incidents; 3

13 among interviewees who had reported an incident, what motivated them to report this incident; among the interviewees who had had an incident and had not reported it, what discouraged them from reporting the incident; any suggestions related to possible incentives to increase reporting, such as introducing fines for not reporting incidents and linking reports to insurance claims; and their reaction to the current MID form including issues related to wording, definitions and any suggestions for changes that may make the form easier for boaters to complete. A total of 17 in-depth interviews were conducted by the first author over a period of three weeks during June and July The vast majority of the interviews were conducted on the telephone, although one interview was conducted during a face-to-face meeting on the request of the boater. The average time for each interview was 35 minutes. All data were coded and cleaned prior to data entry. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the sample using SPSS (version 11 for Windows). The data were analysed and common themes were identified. 4

14 3. RESULTS 3.1 Boater characteristics In total, 17 boaters were interviewed. The majority were metropolitan residents (71%) and the vast majority were males (94%) (Table 3.1). The median age among this group was 55 years with a range of 32 to 71 years. Approximately one-half (53%) were both commercial and recreational boaters while 35% were solely recreational boaters. As shown in Table 3.1, approximately one-third of the interviewees reported going boating more than once per week and another third reported boating at least once per week. The mean number of years of boating experience was 30 years with a range of 10 to 60 years. The most common type of boats used among this group was sail yachts, runabouts and dinghies (Table 3.1). Table 3.1 Characteristics of boaters interviewed Characteristics n* Gender Male 16 Age years years years years 10 Geographical location Metropolitan 12 Regional 5 Boating activity Recreational 6 Commercial 2 Both 9 Boating frequency More than once a week 6 Once a week 6 Every couple of weeks 3 Once a month 1 Not boating at the moment 1 Years of boating 20 or more years 5 More than 20 & less than or equal to 40 years 9 More than 40 years 3 Boat type** Runabout 5 Sail yacht 6 Dinghy 4 Cabin cruiser 3 PWC 0 Other 3 Ever had a marine incident? Yes 7 Among those who have had an incident, was this reported? Yes 5 * Total number = 17; ** Multiple responses allowed 5

15 3.2 Reporting of marine-related incidents Knowledge and awareness of marine-related incidents When asked the types of incidents or mishaps that they thought were included as marine incidents 14 boaters suggested those where there was an injury and ten suggested when there was damage to or loss of property, or anything that would result in insurance being claimed. Additional incidents mentioned included collisions, breakdowns, running out of fuel, fire, groundings, and any mechanical or electrical failure. The vast majority of interviewees had not heard or seen anything recently about marine incidents. Six interviewees did not know that they should report a marine incident, while six said that they did know, and another two knew to report commercial incidents but did not know that they had to report recreational boating incidents Reporting process When asked about the types of incidents they would report to an authority, 15 boaters mentioned that they would report incidents when there was an injury, while 14 would report when there was any damage. Additional responses included anything that had the potential to cause damage and that they were not really sure. When asked which authority they would report an incident to ten replied to the DPI, five to the Police, two to Fisheries, two to Sea Search and Rescue, one mentioned writing in their commercial log book, while two did not know which authority they should report to. When asked where would you go to find information about reporting marine incidents, 14 answered DPI, four the Police, four Fisheries, one Sea Search and Rescue, one the harbour master, and two did not know where they would go Motivations and barriers to reporting When asked about why some boaters do report incidents that occur, the most common reason was when there was an insurance claim associated with the incident (n=9) followed by the fear of legal issues (n=3), that they realise the seriousness of the situation (n=2), and so that others can learn from their mistakes (n=2) (Table 3.2). Other responses included that there is a social responsibility to report incidents, that there is a culture of reporting that is linked with the idea that the majority of people know to report vehicle incidents and that this would be carried over to boating incidents, to ensure that you get in before someone else reports it, and that commercial vessels are obligated to report all incidents. 6

16 Conversely, when asked why some boaters do not report marine incidents the most common response was that there was a lack of awareness that they have to (n=12), by admitting a wrong doing they are open to reprimand and infringement fines (n=8), fear of embarrassment (n=5), and that they cannot be bothered or are complacent about reporting incidents (n=2). Other responses included that boaters do not know what they should report, do not want to get involved or to tell the authorities anything, and that they do not realise the potential for injury or damage it was suggested that there is a level of acceptance that these things happen among the boating community and that there is no need to report these Encouraging the reporting of incidents When asked for suggestions of how to encourage boaters to report incidents, 13 recommended educating boaters about what and how to report incidents, 11 suggested that insurance claims should be reliant on submitting an incident form, five suggested that information related to reporting incidents should be included in all boater education training programs, and two mentioned the need to publicise that boaters should report any incidents. When prompted with the idea of introducing fines for not reporting incidents, only two boaters agreed with such a use of fines but only following an education campaign. An additional seven said that they did not agree with the implementation of fines at all Access to the MID reporting forms When asked for suggestions of where to have the incident reporting forms available for boaters, the most common response was for the forms to be sent with annual vessel registrations (n=11) (Table 3.2). This was followed by that the forms should be kept by Sea Search and Rescue personnel and the Water Police (n=10), kept at Police stations (n=9), on the internet (n=7) (although three respondents pointed out that not everyone has access to the internet), kept at Australia Post offices along with the range of forms that are located there (n=4), or to be kept at sailing or yacht clubs (n=4) or at marinas (n=2). Additional places include at Fisheries offices (n=2), fishing clubs (n=2), encourage insurance companies to include a copy of the form with each claim forms (n=2), kept on rangers, fisheries or water police vessels and for these officers to provide copies to boaters when necessary, and to include copies in the Boating Guide and in the 7

17 Boating Communities newsletter. One suggestion was that the forms should be available at anywhere boaters may go to do business. When asked the best option for sending in the completed form, the interviewees suggested posting in the completed form, completing the form while on the phone with a DPI officer, completing the form in person at DPI offices, and submitting the form via the internet. Table 3.2 Reporting of marine-related incidents* Issues related to reporting n Why boaters report incidents: For insurance 9 Fear of legal ramifications 3 Realise seriousness of situations 2 So others can learn from mistakes/for research 2 Social responsibility/culture of reporting 2 To get in before someone else does 1 Obliged to report (commercial vessels) 1 Why boaters do not report incidents: Not aware that they have to 12 Admitting wrongdoing fear reprimand or fines 8 Embarrassment 5 Complacency 2 Don t know what should be reported 1 Don t want to get involved/tell authorities 1 Don t realise the potential for injury or damage 1 How to encourage reporting: Education about what & how to report 13 Link with insurance claims 11 Part of boater education programs 5 Information about what to report 4 Publicising that boaters should report incidents 2 Education about where to locate form 2 Convenient ways to report incidents: Send forms with annual vessel registrations 11 Sea Search & Rescue/Water Police 10 At Police stations 9 On the internet (not everyone has access n=3) 7 At Australia Post Offices 4 At sailing or yacht clubs 4 At marinas 2 At Fisheries offices 2 At fishing clubs 2 Insurance companies send out with claim forms 2 Keep on ranger/fisheries/water police vessels 1 At hospitals/medical centres/nursing posts 1 In the Boating Guide/Boating Communities newsletter 1 Other places where boaters do business 1 Submission of completed forms: Mailing in completed form 10 On telephone with DPI officer 3 Submitting on internet 1 In person at DPI office 1 * Multiple responses allowed 8

18 3.2.6 Evaluation of current Marine Incident Report form The interviewees were provided with a copy of the current MID reporting form and were asked questions related to the wording and for any changes they would suggest to make the form more user-friendly. When asked whether they had used or seen this form before, eight had seen or used the form before while five had never seen or used the form. In addition, the vast majority thought that the form was easy or very easy to complete. One boater who had completed the form previously mentioned that it was harder to do when I had to fill it in at the time [of the incident] but looking at it now it is not too hard. The most common response to any suggestions for changes was to include definitions for the types of incidents reportable and the level of seriousness in the injury section. Several boaters questioned the need for the person reporting the incident to sign the form in two places (on the front and the back pages). Additional items suggested for inclusion were: level of boating experience (ie, the number of years); the time of the day the incident occurred (ie, night, day or twilight); the level of visibility (ie, poor = 10m, fair = 50m, good = 1000m); rain level (ie, light, moderate, heavy); adding mooring as an operation category; and adding error of judgement as a contributing factor. Other suggestions for the current form included moving the office use only sections to the end of the form; to allow more space for boaters to write their own story (although it was mentioned that additional pages can be included it was thought that many boaters would not do this); and to allow more space for writing the details of any injuries Additional information provided by the interviewees Several boaters provided further information when asked if there was anything that they wished to raise that they felt had not been addressed in the questions or wanted to add any other comments. These issues included that there needs to be more information provided to boaters about what and when they should report incidents. In addition, it was suggested that clearer definitions need to be included. These definitions include those related to the type of incident requiring reporting and the level of injury seriousness. Other issues were related to the provision of feedback following reporting of an incident. It was suggested that there should be something provided for those who report 9

19 incidents and that, even when there is no injury, there should be some follow-up by the Department. Some of the boaters mentioned that they had attempted to report an incident, only to be told that nothing was likely to happen or that the official did not know the procedure for reporting an incident. Another boater suggested that the Boating Guide should be updated to provide more information related to the reporting of incidents. 10

20 4. DISCUSSION 4.1 Findings The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers to reporting marine-related incidents in WA, to identify ways of encouraging boaters to report marine incidents, and whether an education program is needed to encourage boaters to report any marinerelated incidents. It also provided information about which items on the MID reporting form require modification. The group of boaters interviewed were interested in marine safety and several had had experience with marine-related incidents. Therefore, it is of concern that the level of knowledge related to which incidents should be reported and the process involved in reporting incidents was low. This indicates that it is important to provide the boating community with information related to which incidents should be reported and how to report them. This is supported by the comments made by several boaters included in the study. Many of the interviewees indicated that an education program is needed to advise all boaters that they should report incidents and how they go about reporting these incidents. Another suggestion was to include issues related to the reporting of incidents as part of the proposed compulsory boater education program. Several of the interviewees indicated that linking the reporting of marine-incidents with boating insurance claims would encourage more boaters to report incidents to DPI. This suggestion should be explored further to assess the feasibility of such an idea. This issue of liaising with marine insurance companies is currently being explored by MSQ as a way of improving the level of marine incident reporting in Queensland (Maritime Safety Queensland, 2005). Another suggestion by several of the boaters was to provide some mechanism for reporting back to boaters about the marine incidents. In this way, information about how to prevent these types of incidents from happening in the future would be made available to a wide range of boaters. This information may be in the form of an annual report, such as those produced in New South Wales and Queensland, which may be produced in conjunction with more detailed individual summary incident reports, such as those provided in Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria. A summary of the reporting requirements, access to forms and how reports are made available to the community for the various marine safety agencies across Australia is provided in Table

21 Another issue highlighted by the interviewees was where MID forms are available. Many of the interviewees suggested a range of agencies and locations where the MID forms can be easily accessed by boaters or where these agencies are able to provide copies of the MID form and encourage a boater involved in an incident to complete and return the form to DPI. These include providing copies and guidelines for completing the form at Post Offices; at Police Stations; on Sea Search and Rescue, Fisheries, Rangers, and Water Police vessels; on the DPI web site; sending out copies with the annual vessel registrations; and the inclusion of a copy in the WA Boating Guide. It is interesting to note that the only state in Australia where the incident report forms are available at a range of agencies is New South Wales where boaters can access the form from the Coast Guard and the Coastal Patrol as well as the Police and the NSW Maritime Office (Table 4.1). When asked about recommended changes to the MID form, the majority of the interviewees thought that, while it was very easy or easy to complete, that the inclusion of definitions related to the level of seriousness of injuries is an area that warrants reviewing. They suggested that the inclusion of definitions on the form would provide clearer guidance to the boater in relation to the types of incidents that should be reported to DPI and to review the need for boaters to sign in two places on the form. Several other issues were raised by one or two boaters during the interviews and these may be assessed to determine the value of these suggestions. 12

22 Table 4.1 Marine-incident reporting requirements in Australia Jurisdiction New South Wales Northern Territory Queensland South Australia Tasmania Reporting requirements Access to forms Marine incident/accident reports A written report must be forwarded to NSW Maritime within Available on the web Annual boating incident reports available on the web 24 hours (unless particulars have been already given to a Also available from NSW Maritime Office, the Reported in Waterways Authority annual report NSW Maritime officer or Police officer) where an accident Police, Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol, Australian has resulted in the death of, or injury to, a person; or damage Volunteer Coast Guard in excess of $100 to a vessel or any other property Have definitions of level of injury serious & minor No requirements No forms Not reported Ship masters are required by law to submit a report in the event of any damage or injury caused by a collision, grounding or any other incident. Incident reports also required following any dangerous situation, or any near miss. Penalties apply for failing to submit an incident report when required. An incident must be reported to a Shipping Inspector within 48 hours, unless there is a reasonable excuse. Shipping Inspectors are Marine Safety Officers (located at MSQ marine operations bases), Queensland Water Police officers & Queensland Boating & Fisheries Patrol officers. Required to report the matter to a police officer if the accident results in death or injury to any person or damage to any vessel or property apparently exceeding $300. Must report to a police station near the place of the accident as soon as possible and within 48 hours. The report must state the: time, place & circumstances of the accident name & addresses of any person killed or injured names & addresses of any witnesses nature of property damage. Owner of vessel to report to the Authority (MAST) as soon as practicable if vessel is lost, presumed lost or abandoned, & the master must report when there is any incident occurring to the vessel Available on the web Also available from Queensland Transport customer service centres Available on the web Also is available from most police stations Available on the web Two main reports produced annually: Marine Safety Incidents Report (information related to severity/ location/ incident type/vessel type, along with detailed profiles of selected cases) & the National Marine Safety Committee (Queensland jurisdiction) Report Also produce safety reports that provide summaries of marine incidents that have occurred & provide highlight lessons to be learnt from these incidents. Not reported Incident investigation reports published to increase awareness of marine incidents to improve safety at sea. Reports available on the web or in hard copy. Also brief summary included in annual report 13

23 Table 4.1 (cont.) Marine-incident reporting requirements in Australia (continued) Jurisdiction Victoria Western Australia Reporting requirements Access to forms Marine incident/accident reports Accidents & incidents initially reported by phoning No annual report. Public reports of investigations are incident paging service published on the web Reported in person or in writing Owners and operators of vessel required to report marine accidents or incidents to the police and/or Marine Safety Victoria An accident involving a vessel on State water where any person is injured or dies or any property is damaged or destroyed, person in charge must report in person full details to nearest police station When a commercial vessel is involved in an accident the owner or master must report in writing to MSV full particulars of the accident A commercial vessel that is involved in an incident where a vessel or person is placed at risk of damage or injury must report in writing to MSV full particulars of the incident. Maximum penalty of $300 may be imposed on those who fail to report and accident or incident. When a serious injury or death occurs or a vessel is damaged rendering it unseaworthy or incapable of being safely navigated, the owner or person in charge must report full particulars of accident or fire to DPI. Available on the web, from DPI offices or can be mailed on request Not reported 14

24 4.2 Limitations The sample size was very small with only 17 in-depth interviews being conducted. Those boaters who were interviewed were perhaps not representative of all boaters across the State (for example they were older, went boating once a week or more often, and had 20 or more years boating experience), although there was a range of responses were provided to the questions. Also, the participants who responded to the initial letter of invitation may have been different to the non-responders in that they may have been more enthusiastic and more interested in boating safety issues. The interviewees were sent a copy of the current MID form prior to the interview to allow them to answer questions directly related to the form. While this may have biased the responses this did not seem to have occurred based on the range of responses to the questions. One method of overcoming the limitation associated with a small sample size is to include several questions related to marine incident reporting in the forthcoming Recreational Boating Safety survey. This survey will be conducted later in 2005 among a large, random sample of registered and unregistered boaters across the State. The questions could replicate some of those asked in this study, such as boaters knowledge of what a marine incident is; measure of whether boaters understand the process involved in reporting incidents and which authority such an incident should be reported to; and determining reasons why boaters may or may not report incidents. These combined results could then be used to identify and develop strategies that may improve the reporting of marine-related incidents in WA. 4.3 Conclusions The boaters in the study suggested a range of changes and areas where improvements may be made in terms of improving the reporting of marine-related incidents in WA. While some of these changes may be more difficult to make (for example to encourage boaters to report all incidents), other suggestions will be easier to achieve (for example making the MID reporting forms more readily available throughout the community). An improved level of reporting will provide more information related to where, to whom, why and how incidents are occurring in WA waters and this will 15

25 lead to improved and tailored education programs that focus on the areas where there is the greatest need. 4.4 Recommendations The first recommendation is to follow-up these interviews with a survey of a larger number of boaters to determine if those issues identified in this report are similar across a range of boaters. This would involve the development of several questions related to marine incident reporting that could replicate those asked in this study and may include items related to: Knowledge of what a marine incident is and when an incident should be reported; A measure of whether boaters understand the process involved in reporting incidents and which authority such an incident should be reported to; and Perceptions about the reasons why boaters may or may not report incidents. Nevertheless, the in-depth interviews conducted among the boaters provided useful information and the following recommendations are suggested to improve the reporting of marine incidents in WA: It is recommended that strategies to raise awareness of and to promote the reporting of marine-related incidents be developed and implemented. It remains important to increase the level of awareness among boaters of the need and the legal requirements for reporting marine incidents. Several of the interviewees raised issues related to the lack of knowledge among boaters about what incidents should be reported, the authorities to report incidents to and the process of reporting the incidents. It is recommended that information related to reporting of incidents (such as booklets and pamphlets) and MID report forms are provided in a range of locations throughout the state. This could include providing copies at Post Offices; at Police Stations; on Sea Search and Rescue, Fisheries, Rangers, and Water Police vessels; on the DPI web site; sending out copies with the annual vessel registrations; and the inclusion of a copy in the WA Boating Guide. In 16

26 addition, the information related to the reporting of incidents contained in the Boating Guide requires updating. It is recommended that reports related to marine incidents are produced annually and should include both data summaries of incidents and specific case studies. This will allow for feedback to those who have reported incidents as well as providing education about risk factors to other boaters. Both these issues were raised by several of the interviewees. This would be in line with other Australian states (for example MSQ (Maritime Safety Queensland, 2005)). It is recommended to explore the possibly of linking with marine insurance companies to encourage boaters to complete a MID form when making a claim. The MSQ is exploring this issue of liaising with marine insurance companies in an attempt to improve the level of marine incident reporting (Maritime Safety Queensland, 2005). Issues related to marine insurance claims and companies were raised frequently by the interviewees across a number of issues. It is recommended that the items included on the current MID reporting form be reviewed based on the suggestions made by this group of boaters. One important area that warrants reviewing is the inclusion of definitions on the form as this will provide clearer guidance to boater related to the types of incidents that should be reported to DPI. One area specifically identified by the interviewees was related to defining the level of serious injury. 17

27 REFERENCES Department of Boating and Waterways (2004) 2003 California boating safety report. Sacramento, The Resources Agency, State of California. Maritime Safety Queensland (2005) Marine incidents annual report Brisbane, Maritime Safety Queensland. National Marine Safety Committee (2004) National marine safety data collection reference manual: Data standards and definitions for marine incidents. Rozelle, NSW, Australian Transport Council. Pikora, T. & Cercarelli, LR. (2004) Quantifying boating-related fatalities, injuries and incidents in Western Australia. Perth, Western Australia, Injury Research Centre, School of Population Health, the University of Western Australia. 18

28 APPENDIX 1 DPI Marine Incident Report Form A1

29 A2

30 A3

31 A4

32 A5

33 APPENDIX 2 Invitation letter to attend focus (discussion) group A6

34 Date Type 1st line of address here Type 2nd line of address here Type 3rd line of address here Type 4th line of address here Department for Planning and Infrastructure Government of Western Australia Marine Safety Your ref: Our ref: Enquiries: Type Your ref Type Our ref Type Enquiries Name Dear Boater Researchers from the Injury Research Centre at the University of Western Australia, in collaboration with the Marine Safety Directorate at the Department for Planning and Infrastructure (DPI), are undertaking a program of research into marine safety. One issue under investigation is the reporting of marine-related incidents. This letter is an invitation for you to participate in the study. On behalf of the Injury Research Centre, Marine Safety at DPI has selected a number of recreational and commercial boaters to be invited to participate in a discussion group. You have been invited because you were registered as an owner or operator of a vessel during Please be assured that your name and contact details have NOT been released to the Injury Research Centre. The discussion groups will be conducted on a range of days during June and July Each group will take approximately two hours. We would like to get the opinions of both those who have reported an incident and those who have not. All responses will be kept strictly confidential and you will not be identified by name. If you do decide to participate in the study you will be asked to provide your name and phone number so that the researchers can contact you directly. Ethical approval to conduct the discussion groups has been obtained from the UWA Human Research Ethics Committee. A small token of appreciation for their time spent will be offered to those who participate in each group. If you wish to participate in one of the groups, please contact Dr Terri Pikora at the Injury Research Centre before June 3 rd on or terri@sph.uwa.edu.au. Your participation in the study will help the Marine Safety Directorate develop methods that will assist boaters when reporting marine-related incidents. We look forward to your participation in this important study. Yours sincerely Brian Riches Director Marine Safety A7

35 APPENDIX 3 Introduction letter A8

36 Injury Research Centre School of Population Health The University of Western Australia M Stirling Highway Crawley, Western Australia 6009 Telephone Facsimile Dear Thank you for agreeing to be part of the study to explore the issues related to why boaters may or may not report a marine-related incident. We will contact you on.. at to conduct the interview. Please let me know if this is not convenient for you. We have enclosed a copy of the DPI s Marine Incident Data form. The following questions are related to this form and it will be useful if you have thought about the answers before we conduct your interview. Have you ever used this form in the past? Imagine that you have had a marine incident and need to fill out this form. Are there any items on the form that you do not understand how to complete? Are there any parts of this form which you would not know how to fill out? What are they? How easy to fill in do you think that this form is? Are there any changes that you would suggest to make this form more user-friendly? Is there enough space to write on the form? Please find enclosed a $10 Bunnings voucher and a stubby holder as a token of appreciation of your participation in this important research. The information that is collected will be used to help make changes to the current report form to make it more user friendly and will also assist in identifying ways to encourage boaters to report any incidents. We would like to get the opinions of both those who have reported an incident and those who have not. All responses will be kept strictly confidential and you will not be identified by name. I look forward to talking with you further. Regards Terri Pikora PhD Marine Safety Research Fellow Injury Research Centre School of Population Health The University of Western Australia A9

37 APPENDIX 4 Boater questionnaire A10

38 Information about boaters We would be grateful for your help in completing a brief survey about you and your boat Q.1 How many years have you been boating? (please write your answer) years Q.2 Type of boating activity you normally participate in? (Tick one only) Recreational 1 Commercial 2 type fishing a passenger b Both 3 non-passenger c hire & drive d Q.3 How often do you go boating? (Tick one only) More than once a week 1 Once a week 2 Every couple of weeks 3 Once per month 4 Less than once per month 5 Q.4 What type of boat do you own/use? (Please tick all that apply) Cabin cruiser 1 Runabout 2 Dinghy 3 PWC 4 Sail yacht 5 Other (please write your answer) Q.5a Have you ever had a boating-related incident? (Tick one only) No 1 Yes 2 Q.5b If yes, did you report it to the authorities? (Tick one only) No 1 Yes 2 Q.6 What is your age? (please write your answer) years Q.7 Are you: (Tick one only) Male 1 Female 2 Q.8 What is your postcode? (please write your answer) A11

39 APPENDIX 5 Interview schedule A12

40 REPORTING OF MARINE INCIDENTS JUNE/JULY 2005 INTERVEIW SCHEDULE INTRODUCTION Good (morning/afternoon/evening) thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. We are gathering information about marine incidents. The Marine Safety Directorate at the Department for Planning and Infrastructure want this information to help them identify ways to improve the reporting of marine incidents and the quality of the data that is reported. You have been invited to participate because you are a Western Australian boater. Your opinions about the reporting of marine incidents are very important to us and will be provided to DPI. We are here to learn from you you are the experts. We really want you thoughts, opinion, experiences and attitudes about marine incidents. The purpose of this interview is for you to discuss issues related to the reporting of marine incidents. There are no right or wrong answers. We simply would like your feedback and opinions so that current methods can be evaluated and improved for the benefit of boaters in the future. We will not be including any names in any reports. Everything you say is strictly confidential. Keep in mind that we re just as interested in negative comments as positive ones, and at times the negative comments are the most helpful. You do not have to answer any question that you do not want to and you are free to stop the interview at any time. Participants asked to provide verbal consent to the telephone interview and are asked to complete a brief questionnaire. SECTION A: Measure knowledge and awareness of what marine incidents are How familiar are you with the term marine incident? What kind of mishaps/incidents do you think are included as marine incidents? Have you seen or heard anything recently about marine incidents? (Probe: in the news, on a website) Would you say that you ve had a marine incident while boating? SECTION B: Measure whether boaters understand the process involved in reporting an incident and to which authority should an incident be reported Now I d like to discuss reporting of marine incidents. What kind of incidents would you report to an authority? What does a boater do if they have a marine incident? (Rephrase: What is the process for reporting an incident?) Probes: What authority do you report a marine incident to? When should an incident be reported? Do you know where to access or locate the correct marine incident reporting form? Who should report the incident? Where would you go to find information about reporting marine incidents? Before today, did you know that you should report a marine incident? Talk about the definition of a marine incident. SECTION C: Determine the underlying reasons why some people report incidents and some don t Now that we have an idea of what a marine incident is, have you been involved in an incident or witnessed an incident? What type of incident was it? Do you think the incident was reportable? Why or why not? Did you report the incident? What encouraged you to report the incident? A13