Rescue Facilities

There are no formal, dedicated, water-based rescue facilities in the Perth area. In the event of an incident on the lower Tay or Earn, rescue would come through the emergency services via:

Fire Service (Swift Water Rescue) found at http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/
Coastguard (Aberdeen) found at http://www.aberdeencoastguardcrt.co.uk/index.html for requesting a helicopter from Aberdeen or Prestwick.
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) found at http://www.aberdeencoastguardcrt.co.uk/index.html for an inshore lifeboat (ILB) support
Air Ambulance from the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) based at Scone airfield. You can contact them at https://www.scaa.org.uk/

Once paddlers are downstream of Inchyra the river is surprisingly remote with few vehicular access points and there are no practicable vehicular access points on the Earn. Rescue from the shore would therefore be highly unlikely on long stretches of the canoe trail, so the most likely scenario is rescue from the water or air.


Potential Hazards


Serial

Hazard

Who's at risk

Control measures

Risk

Additional measures

Residual Risk

Managed by

1

Drowning

Participants

Suitable PFD to be worn and fitted correctly at all time while on the water

Medium

Ensure river state is within the capabilities of the paddlers and everyone is confident in the water

Low

Group leader

2

Hypothermia

Participants and support crew

Suitable clothing for prevailing weather conditions

Low

Postpone activity if the weather is not suitable

Low

Everybody

3

Hyperthermia

Participants and support crew

Suitable clothing or the prevailing weather conditions
day

Low

Ensure adequate supply and intake of fluids throughout the

Low

Everybody

4

Waterborne diseases

Participants and support crew

Ensure open cuts are
covered and suitable launch and recovery sites are used

Low

Shower after activity

Low

Everybody

5

Sunburn

Participants and support crew

Use effective sunblock

Low

Cover up with clothing

Low

Everybody

6

Slips trips and falls

Participants and support crew

Inspect launch and recovery sites before use

Medium

Use proper footwear and plan launch and recoveries

Low

Everybody

7

Lifting operations, back injuries

Participants and support crew

Ensure lifting boats on and off trailers is done by a suitable number of people. Carrying of boats to and from the water by a suitable
number of people

Medium

Plan boat movements to the water

Low

Everybody

8

Capsize and entrapment

Participants

Ensure everyone is aware of capsize drills.
Suitable rescue kit to be carried in every boat.

Medium

Particular care to be taken near overgrown banks and
submerged logs

Low

Everybody

9

White water

Participants

Ensure everybody in the group is at an appropriate standard and able to deal with the small sections of white water

Medium

Check participants experience level

Low

Group leader

10

Head injuries

Participants

Consider the use of helmets both on and off the water, especially when loading high trailers or roof bars

Low

Everyone to be aware of the possibility of

Low

Everybody

11

Foot injuries

Participants

Use appropriate footwear at all times

Medium

May be necessary to change footwear for launching and recovery operations

Low

Everybody

12

Commercial boat traffic

Participants

Check with Harbourmaster before planning a trip

Medium

Keep a good lookout at all times whilst on the water.
Keep well clear of any
commercial boats

low

Everybody

13

Tidal flow

Participants

Check high water and low water times before planning a trip.
River should be avoided if the river is in spate or the flood prevention scheme barriers are operational

Medium

Check river state and amount of fresh water coming down the river

Low

Everybody

14

Inability to contact emergency services

Participants

Marine DSC VHF is the preferred method of contacting the coastguard (Aberdeen)

Medium

Other methods to combat VHF black spots, mobile phone. Flares may also be considered.

Low

Everybody


Download the assessment template as: PDF


Primary Hazards

All the following are primary hazards that should be addressed in a risk assessment for a canoeing or kayaking trip on a stretch of water like the lower Tay and Earn.

  • Drowning - applicable to all water-based activities;
  • Hypothermia - cold weather and water injury;
  • Hyperthermia - heat injuries such as heat stroke, dehydration;
  • Waterborne diseases - Weil's disease plus other gastro-intestinal infections borne in sewage outlets along the river;
  • Sunburn;
  • Slips, trips and falls - accessing the river and moving canoes and kayaks around,
  • Lifting operations, back injuries - moving canoes and kayaks, especially on and off vehicles and trailers;
  • Capsize and entrapment - from ill-fitting craft and submerged trees along riverbanks,
  • White water - any white water can be avoided by choosing specific tidal states;
  • Head injuries;
  • Foot injuries - launch sites are often used by the general public for picnics etc. so hazards such as broken bottles and sharp metal should be expected.
  • Commercial boat traffic - boats arrive into Perth Harbour on the flood and depart on the ebb;
  • Tidal flow - this is always downstream on the Tay and Earn regardless of the state of the tide;
  • Inability to contact emergency services - Use of marine VHF (Mayday CH 16 or DSC) is recommended along with personal locater beacons / PLB devices (ensure PLB devices are registered), mobile phone network coverage is good - worth considering registering you phone for the 999 text service http://www.emeraencvsrns.org.uk/ .

A template generic risk assessment is included as an example in Appendix A, but is not intended as a final document, more a starting point for users to adapt to their own particular circumstances.


Mudflats and Other Hazards

A series of specific hazards that should be highlighted in any promotional material are:

  • Mudflats
  • Sewage outlet
  • Weather conditions
  • Solo paddling
The lower stretches of the canoe trail, from Cairnie Pier and the Earn confluence down to Newburgh, contain a series of mudflats that are potentially dangerous to anyone who fails to understand them and make accurate judgements to avoid getting caught in them. Paddling in the area between Cairnie Pier and Newburgh during a falling tide, especially towards the northern side of the estuary, is an activity that requires a great deal of knowledge and sound judgement. Information supplied in association with the canoe trail needs to be very clear in its warnings about these mudflats.

The sewage outlet on the inside of the bend in the river, to the east of the Willowgate Activity Centre, presents an unpleasant hazard on this stretch of river and should be highlighted on the trail website and leaflet. It would be wise to advise paddling along the middle of the river or over towards the north bank, but definitely to avoid rounding the bend close to the south side.

The River Tay becomes progressively wider and more exposed to the elements as the paddler on the canoe trail heads further downstream. The river around Cairnie Pier and the Earn confluence is around twice the width of the river at Friarton Bridge, despite the two places being only 5 miles, or 8 kilometres, apart. There are a reasonable proportion of days in the year when the wind is noticeably stronger at Cairnie Pier compared to the area around Friarton Bridge, and the interaction of wind and tide at Cairnie Pier can also be far more serious than at locations further upstream.

Paddling in the lower reaches of the canoe trail area, especially from Inchyra down to Newburgh, are more demanding and require greater levels of ability, experience and judgement. Add in the situation where the wind is picking up and the tide starting to run faster, perhaps against the wind, and a paddler is presented with a serious piece of water to paddle on. There are many paddlers in Scotland that can cope with this scenario, and they are often out there and coping without any problems, but it will be necessary to explain this kind of situation in any promotional material in order to spell out the serious nature of this particular piece of water. One of the aims of such information should be to encourage those who are in any doubt to take a guided trip rather than risk getting into trouble on their own.

Whilst many people are sufficiently skilled and confident to paddle solo, the canoe trail information should warn of the dangers of paddling solo and also highlight the hazards involved in paddling with only one open canoe on the water. There have been at least two fatalities in Scotland in recent years where paddlers in an open canoe have capsized and been unable to perform a self-rescue.


Poisonous Plants

Giant hogweed is growing in alarming abundance along the banks of the Tay and Earn, particularly around Cairnie Pier. For that reason, it may be wise not use Cairnie Pier as a landing and picnic spot. It is important to be able to identify giant hogweed and highlight the importance of avoiding any form of contact with it.

The plant represents a serious risk to human health, and the Lower Tay Canoe Trail might be the first time that some people actually see the plant.

The following paragraphs are taken from the Soilutions publication: "Everything you wanted to know about Giant Hogweed but were too afraid to ask".

"In Scotland the Scottish Minister, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) have powers to require land managers to take action in relation to invasive species. In practice this means that SNH who have responsibility for land based invasive species can put in place Species Control Orders or Emergency Control Orders to force a landowner to take action to prevent the spread of Giant Hogweed.

If the plant is obstructing a public footpath or otherwise can be deemed to be presenting a risk to human health local councils also have powers to compel landowners to take action to avoid causing harm. Section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, allows for enforcement action to be taken where the giant hogweed is, or is likely to be, prejudicial to health."

A project to eradicate giant hogweed from along the banks of the Tay and Earn is beyond the scope of the Tay Landscape Partnership, but this is a potential future project that the various interested parties in the area might wish to consider at some point.

Other plants only really cause a problem if ingested, which is unlikely in this scenario. Hemlock and foxgloves are examples of such plants.