The Coast Guard Office of Recreational Boating Safety (RBS ) recently released updated information on propeller safety practices and advances in propeller injury prevention technology.
The Problem – Coast Guard RBS estimates that over 200 people suffer injury from propeller strikes and approximately 30 people die each year from these accidents. A spinning propeller can strike a person with its blades 160 times in one second. A moving boat propeller inflect injury from head to toe in a tenth of a second.
Propeller Safety Tips – There are many things you can do to prevent propeller injuries while using your boat. They include:
- Check the area around the stern of your boat for people in the water near the propeller before starting the engine.
- Allow boarding of your vessel only when the engine is shut-down.
- Brief passengers on-board about the dangers of contact with spinning propellers.
- Exercise extreme caution when operating in congested areas with many swimmers in the water.
- Give boats towing skiers a wide berth.
- Prohibit passengers on-board from riding on the bow, gunnels, or transom. Riders can fall overboard and be struck by the propeller.
- Children merit special attention.
- Exercise good man overboard safety practices. Drill with your crew on safe recovery techniques.
- Avoid backing to pickup a person the water. Swing around and pick them on a safe approach of the boat.
New Propeller Injury Control Products – There are new products on the market that can help prevent propeller injuries. RBS has a Portable Document Format (PDF) file listing the most current propeller injury reduction devices available to recreational boaters. Available technology includes alternative propulsion equipment, propeller guards, safety interlocks on boarding ladders, engine cut-off switches, and video monitoring. The Coast Guard emphasizes that safety solutions are not universal; one size does not fit all boating situations. Information provided by them is might to explore options that might be unknown to most boaters.
Some examples of propeller safety devices include:
- Wireless engine cut-off switches – MariTech Industries sells a number of engine shut-off and wireless overboard alarm systems.
- Propeller guards - Prop Guard Marine builds a propeller guard that helps prevent injuries and can increase prop performance in the process.
- Propeller rings - RingProp sells a propeller ring system that eliminates exposed rotating prop blade tips.
- Jet drives – ACT Marine Propulsion sells jet pump equipped outboard engines manufactured by Johnson and Evinrude.
- Safety interlocks.
- Anti-feedback steering control.
Alan Sorum - Alan Sorum is the Maritime Operations Project Manager for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council (PWSRCAC). Alan is ...
