NASBLA Leadership Academy

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Accident Reporting Whats the Big Deal?

• NASBLA Leadership Academy
• Lexington KY
• July 24, 2013
• Tammy Terry, NASBLA ERAC Chair
• Ohio DNR, Division of Watercraft
• Deb Gona, NASBLA ERAC staff
• Research Consultant

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Tell us about yourselves.

• Your name, your state, and your history with the
  agency you represent
• Your level of experience (scale of 1-high to
  10-low) with accident reporting, in general, and
  the BARD-Web system, in particular
• The level of involvement your agency takes in
  accident reporting details. For example, do you
  investigate and enter details into BARD-Web
  yourselves or is all or part of the process
  handled by another agency or agencies?

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Why is Accident Reporting Important?

• Yet the best pilots have need of mariners,
  besides sails, anchor and other tackle.
• - Ben Jonson
• mariner  (m r -n r) n.
• One who navigates or assists
• in navigating a ship.

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Knowing the Seas What are the Federal
Requirements for Accident Reporting?
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33 CFR Part 173 Subpart C Casualty and
Accident Reporting 33 CFR Part 174 Subpart C
Casualty Reporting System Requirements
33 CFR 173.55 Conditions for a Report Specific
occurrences involving the vessel or its equipment
that require operator/owner to file a BAR 33 CFR
173.55 (c) Who Submits the Report
Operator/owner files BAR with reporting
authority
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33 CFR 173.57Content of Report
Number, name of vessel (a) Name, DOB, contact info, experience, boating education level of instructor (h) Availability and use of PFDs (o) Cause of the accident, determination of alcohol (v)
Name, Address of vessel owner (b) Name, contact info of operator (i) Type and amount of fire extinguisher (p) Make, model, type, beam width, depth, hp, propulsion, fuel, construction, year built (w)
Name of nearest city, county, state, body of water (c) Number of people onboard/towed (j) Nature, extent of injury (q) Name, contact info of witness (x)
Time and date (d) Name, contact info, DOB of victim (k) Property damage estimate and description (r) HIN (y)
Location (e) Cause of death (l) Description of equipment failure if a cause of accident (s) Name and contact info of person submitting report (z)
Visibility, weather, water conditions (f) Weather forecasts available, use prior to accident (m) Description of casualty (t)
Air and water temperature (g) Name, contact info of owner, property damaged (n) Type of operation and accident (u)
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33 CFR 173.53 33 CFR 173.55 Timelines for
Report Notification and Submission
Operator/owner files BAR with reporting
authority within timeframe requirements depend
on nature of incident (deaths, injuries,
vessel/property damage) 33 CFR 174.121
Forwarding of Reports to Coast Guard Within
30 days of its receipt of accident report, State
forwards report data to Coast Guard HQ
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Get to Know Prior Explorers What are Federal
uses of Accident Reporting data?
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Importance to the Coast Guard

• Measuring success of the RBS Program nationally
• Demonstrating measurable impact of programs
• Required to meet Adequate and Sufficient
  designation

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USCG Boating Safety Division www.uscgboating.org

• The Boating Safety Division of the Office of
  Auxiliary and Boating Safety produces an annual
  statistics report on recreational boating
  accidents.
• www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics
  .aspx
• The report reflects a national perspective on
  accident causes and types, and provides tables
  with State/Territory data.

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Other USCG Publications

• The U.S. Coast Guard Budget in Brief and
  Performance Report
• The Coast Guard Marine Safety Performance Plan
• The Coast Guard Posture Statement

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National Boating Safety Advisory
Council http//homeport.uscg.mil/NBSAC
Established by the Federal Boating Safety Act
of 1971, NBSAC uses the data as it advises the
USCG on a range of boating safety matters. NBSAC
subgroups advise on the use of accident report
data to measure the impact of various objectives
of the Strategic Plan of the National
Recreational Boating Safety Program.
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Get to Know Prior Explorers What other Groups
and Organizations have been using Accident
Reporting data?
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Notable Explorers

• Non-Profits (CO case studies propeller
  casualties)
• Consultants (environmental impacts)
• University researchers
• Other federal agencies (life jacket wear
  campaigns)
• Media
• Insurance agencies (promotional strategies)
• Industry
• Lawyers
• Claims adjusters, and
• NASBLA Engineering, Reporting Analysis
  Committee
  www.nasbla.org/ERAC

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Importance of Accident Reporting data to other
researchers and analysts

• Better understanding of factors surrounding
  recreational boating accidents
• Use the same data sets as USCG and States
  resulting in similar analysis issues

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Becoming an Explorer What have States been
doing with Accident Reporting data?
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Importance to the States

• Measuring success of the RBS Program in the State
• Demonstrating measurable impact of programs
• Establishing objectives that provide return on
  investment

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Individual States

• Many states compile their own annual statistical
  summaries of recreational boating accident data.
  Among them
• California
• Florida
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Tennessee

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Individual States
Taking it to the next level by using state
and local trends in accident/injury/fatality data
to determine the success of programs and hone
in on problem areas.
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Individual States
Connecticut Looked at accident types on
Candlewood Lake the states largest lake
- to determine if
special regulations were needed on the lake

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Connecticut

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Individual States

• Tennessee
• Used an analysis tool developed from an ERAC
  charge to look at patterns in state fatalities
  across several parameters
• Year (across a 10-year span)
• Accident Type
• Accident Cause
• Body of Water (including size
  and
  unique characteristics)

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Becoming a Better Navigator What are some of
the critical data and process issues in Accident
Reporting?
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Areas for improvement in accident report data

• Accuracy
• Timeliness
• Completeness
• Better narratives

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Accuracy Issues

• Vague, conflicting, or missing definitions for
  data fields and data field options
• Other areas with interpretation differences
• Injury requiring treatment beyond first aid
• (33 CFR 173.55 (a))
• Vessels falling under the RBS Program
• (33 CFR 173.51)
• Commercial accidents (33 CFR 173.51)

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Timeliness Issues

• Public awareness of accident reporting
  requirements
• Timeline for forwarding a report to the Coast
  Guard (33 CFR 174.121)

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Completeness Issues

• Gaps in BARD-Web data
• Vessel Length
• Operator Age
• Operator Education
• Too many unknowns

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Narrative Issues

• Incomplete information in narratives
• u1 ran into the stern of u2
• PWC turned into other
• A good narrative
• Uses no personal information (instead, uses
  Vessel 1, Operator, etc.)
• Includes as much detail as possible especially
  items that arent included in other BARD-Web data
  fields

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Consequences of Non-Standardized and Incomplete
Data

• Unable to analyze key boating safety issues in a
  reliable and valid manner
• Unable to accurately assess the success of
  various programs
• Unable to rely on data to guide programs into the
  future

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Get on Board Charting a Clearer Course Whats
Being Done? What Can You Do?
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Actions Under Way or Planned

• NBSAC Accident Reporting Task Force
  Recommendations incorporated into National RBS
  Strategic Plan 2012-2016 subject of a Coast
  Guard Request for Comments in 2011
• US Coast Guard Work on accident reporting
  regulatory proposals and policy documents
• NASBLA ERAC Charge work
• Standardized terms and definitions
• Online resource / reference modules and analysis
  tools
• Online forum

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NBSAC Recommendations

• Develop a two-tiered boating accident
  notification/ reporting system
• Clarify through policy and regulation, which
  watercraft qualify for boating accident reporting
• Include exclusive state waters in accident
  reporting requirements

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NBSAC Recommendations

• Clarify which recreational boating-related
  injuries qualify for reporting by adopting OSHA
  standards for medical treatment beyond first
  aid as standard
• Consider revising reportable boating accident
  criteria to exclude incidents where vessel was
  being used as a swimming platform or a person
  voluntarily leaves the vessel as the first event,
  regardless of whether the
  vessel was underway or not

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NBSAC Recommendations

• Create a Decision Matrix that will simplify the
  boating accident and casualty reporting
  decision-making process
• Establish and enforce the responsibility and
  accountability of first responders for notifying
  of an accident or casualty and of state reporting
  authorities for
  investigating and submitting boating accident
  report data

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NBSAC Recommendations

• Amend CFR to specify the essential elements of
  information required to be included in the
  initial notification of a boating accident
• Amend CFR to abstain from including specific
  data elements and require that essential elements
  of boating accident report information be
  specified in USCG
  policy document

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NBSAC Recommendations

• Revise former guidance document CG-449, and make
  it available in a condensed version through
  electronic media
• Examine feasibility of harmonizing commercial
  and recreational boating accident cause data.
• Continue to research methods for statistical
  adjustment of accident totals to help extrapolate
  unreported
  accidents.

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NBSAC Recommendations

• Draft text for inclusion in Boating Statistics
  discussing possible errors and limits to
  interpretation of data extracted from BARD
• Examine suitability of additional models of
  accident causation (human factors) for use in
  describing fatal recreational boating accidents.

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NBSAC Recommendations

• Assist the states in conducting training,
  education and outreach efforts directed toward
  the boating public and accident investigators and
  regarding boating accident notification and
  reporting regulatory and policy revisions

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United States Coast Guard

• Work on accident reporting regulatory proposals
  and policy documents
• Final Rule on Changes to SNS/VIS/BARD
• Regulatory and policy action on NBSAC
  recommendations
• Cooperation with ERAC on continuing work

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NASBLA Engineering, Reporting Analysis
Committee (ERAC)

• Standardized accident reporting terms and
  definitions in five key report categories
• Resource/reference modules for the standardized
  terms
• Online forum
• Source for clarification and resources related
  to recreational boating accident reporting and
  analysis

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NASBLA Engineering, Reporting Analysis
Committee (ERAC)

• Development of standardized reporting terms and
  definitions in five key report categories
• Accident Types
• Contributing Factors
• Operation
• Activity
• Vessel Types/Sub-Types

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Time for a test Can you identify the correct
Accident Type and Contributing Factor?

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• The investigation of the
• meaning of words is the
• beginning of education.
• - Antisthenes, c. 445-c. 365 B.C.

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Accident Reporting Terms Definitions Project
www.nasbla.org/terms

• Five accident report categories targeted by
  project team
• for update and standardization
• Accident Types and Contributing Factors
  
  approved by NASBLA Membership (Sept 2012)
• Operation, Activity, Vessel Types/Sub-Types
  
  revised and currently in final state review, then
  on to request for acceptance of work products

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Accident Reporting Terms Definitions
Projectwww.nasbla.org/terms

• NASBLA Resolution 2012-3
• In support of the Accident Reporting Terms and
  Definitions Project, the adoption of standardized
  terms and definitions by the U.S. Coast Guard,
  and actions to facilitate their application.

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Accident Reporting Terms Definitions
Projectwww.nasbla.org/terms

• NASBLA Resolution 2012-3 Three Key Elements
• Support for project and its intent
• Formal request to USCG to incorporate each list
  into national use after each is accepted by
  NASBLA members as a final work product
• Recommend that ERAC/USCG continue to develop
  training and guidance for the States on the use
  of the terms and definitions

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Accident Reporting Terms Definitions
Projectwww.nasbla.org/terms

• Criteria that guided the update and
  standardization of report category options
• Clarity Distinctiveness Relevance
• Afford better access to / analysis of data
• Formatting to assist investigating officers work
  in recording
  relevant accident details

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Accident Reporting Terms Definitions Project

• Webinar on latest revisions to the Operation,
  Activity, and Vessel Types/Sub-Types proposals
  conducted with States on July 15
• PowerPoint and audio from webinar available at
  www.nasbla.org/terms
• Project team will meet July 29 to take up
  comments received during webinar and through COB
  July 26

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Accident Reporting Terms Definitions Project

• Submit final comments on Operation, Activity,
  Vessel Types/Sub-Types
• By COB FRIDAY JULY 26 2013
• To Deb Gona at deb_at_nasbla.org
• All comments will be posted to the
  Discussion Forum linked
  from
  www.nasbla.org/terms

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Accident Reporting Terms Definitions Project

• Anticipate a formal request will be sent to BLAs
  early August for online vote of acceptance on
  the final three work products
• Seeking acceptance of the
  work
  products to expedite
  delivery of resource
  modules
  in September.

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Engineering, Reporting Analysis Committee
(ERAC) www.nasbla.org/ERAC

• Online resource and reference modules for
  standardized terms and definitions
• First iteration portable PPTbased module
• Intend availability 24/7/365
• Accessible by all involved in
• reporting system
• Interactive features

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Engineering, Reporting Analysis Committee
(ERAC) www.nasbla.org/ERAC

• Development of Online Forum
• Inclusion of tools
• Body of Water Template
• Terms and Definitions Resource Modules
• Source for clarification/resources
  related to recreational boating
  accident
  reporting and analysis

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What you can do

• Get Involved in Your States Accident Reporting
• Look at ways to improve your processes and
  standardize your data
• Ensure completeness of data fields
• Beef up your report narratives
• Stress the importance to your staff
  and
  associates
• Look at ways you can use
  accident data to guide your
  own
  programs and evaluate your efforts

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What you can do

• Get Involved in Your States Accident Reporting
• Explore various tools that are available to you
• Provide your input and suggestions
• Comment sheets can be filled
  out and dropped off
  today
• Additional input and suggestions
  can be forwarded to
  Tammy Terry tamara.terry_at_dnr.state.oh.us
  
  or Deb Gona deb_at_nasbla.org

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Questions??
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Thank Youand Best Wishes in Your Work