Application
This unit of competency was developed by the National Marine Safety Committee (NMSC) and defines the skills and knowledge required to deal with boating emergencies and incidents, including the use of safety equipment and the provision of assistance to others in distress and includes raising alarms and dealing with on-board emergencies.
This unit is one of three core competencies that have been adopted by all government marine safety authorities to contribute to and promote the safe use of waterways and awareness of boating safety and applies to all recreational boats including personal watercraft.
Unit MEM50008 Carry out trip preparation and planning and unit MEM50009 Safely operate a mechanically powered recreational boat are the other two NMSC core units.
No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Band: E
Unit Weight: 0
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. | ||
1 | Use safety equipment | 1.1 | Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) |
1.2 | Comply with work health and safety (WHS) requirements at all times | ||
1.3 | Ensure nature, type, location, accessibility and serviceability of safety equipment is known and understood by all personnel on board | ||
1.4 | Conduct briefing of personnel before departure | ||
1.5 | Use safety equipment in a manner and purpose for which it was designed and appropriate to the emergency or incident | ||
2 | Raise alarms | 2.1 | Identify nature of emergency |
2.2 | Communicate alarm to on-board personnel | ||
2.3 | Use recognised distress signals to indicate need of assistance | ||
3 | Deal with on-board emergency | 3.1 | Inform on-board personnel of actions required to deal with the emergency |
3.2 | Implement procedures to combat emergency and protect persons on board | ||
3.3 | Identify position, record and communicate | ||
3.4 | Provide injured persons with assistance | ||
3.5 | Maintain communication with rescuers | ||
3.6 | Undertake preparation for abandoning the boat, as required | ||
3.7 | Communicate cessation of emergency to appropriate personnel | ||
4 | Assist others in distress | 4.1 | Recognise distress signals from others |
4.2 | Identify nature of assistance required | ||
4.3 | Determine capability to safely assist or relay emergency taking into account own safety and physical proximity to the emergency incident | ||
4.4 | Prepare for appropriate response to the emergency and implement | ||
4.5 | Communicate cessation of emergency incident to appropriate personnel | ||
Foundation Skills
This section describes those required skills (reading, writing, oral communication and numeracy) that are essential to workplace performance in this unit of competency.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Range Statement
This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. | |
Briefing information includes the following: | vessel operation personnel assessment, including swimming skills, boating knowledge, medication and dietary requirements location and use of safety equipment emergency procedures abandoning procedures |
Emergencies include one (1) or more of the following: | fire (smoke or heat) grounding person overboard person retrieval from water capsize swamping sinking engine/motor breakdown or malfunction fouled propeller anchoring flooding lost injuries/illness hypothermia lack of fuel contaminated fuel |
Distress signals include one (1) or more of the following: | pyrotechnic distress flares flags radio hand signals dye markers International Code Signal of Distress sound signal including voice emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) V-sheet reflective mirror light signals mobile phone |
Preparation for abandoning includes the following: | brief on-board personnel take drinking water don of life jackets identify location of vessel communicate to rescuers actions taken or to be taken assess and ensure readiness of life rafts/life rings activate emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) identify and collect emergency equipment, provisions and clothing deploy anchor or sea anchor |
Competency Field
Boating services