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A defective throw bag rescue line was discovered while Warrington Rowing Club was conducting boat capsize drills for new rowers at Halton Baths in Cheshire, UK. A 15m long polypropylene rescue line in a throw bag, supplied by Riber Products Limited (RIBER), parted while a young person in the water was being pulled to the side of the pool during a simulated rescue. There were no injuries. The rowing club safety advisor subsequently found another throw bag with a defective rescue line that had been purchased from the same supplier. RIBER was informed and the company contacted its customers after identifying a batch of 208 throw bags that could be at risk. A further three defective rescue lines have been identified as a consequence of the customer warning notice posted on Facebook. Considering the potentially serious consequences of a throw bag rescue line failing in a real lifesaving situation, the MAIB is conducting a safety investigation.

Initial findings

On inspection, the defective RIBER throw bag rescue lines identified by Warrington Rowing Club were found to have been made up of sections of polypropylene rope fused together, which broke easily at the joint when put under tension. One line was constructed of two sections of rope fused together, Continue reading “MAIB safety alert after the failure of a throw bag rescue line”