Sent: 01 July 2002 14:41
To: Paul Hammond; Mike Devlin
Cc: Paul Owen
Subject: CE Helmets for Canoeing and Kayaking and Polo.
Dear Paul,
Your Email of the 19th last, has been passed on to me for reply.
The other disciplines HAVE BEEN enforcing CE helmets since Jan 1st 2002.
Yes, they are enforced, as each responsible committee feels fit and within that committee's rules. One penalty is disqualification from an event. If an issue went further other penalties as the BCU through SMC felt appropriate
to the individual case might be applied. The organiser of an event is the responsible person, though in Polo's case I would have thought that the organiser would delegate that responsibility to the competent person who
scrutineers the equipment at an event.
It is not custom, practice or regulation that Sprint and Marathon wear helmets. However, at events where helmets are required e.g. The Exe Descent, then CE marked helmets are required to be worn.
If a competition is held under ICF or other rules, those rules apply,
wherever in the world the competition is held.
This CE does affect the other European Nations.
Visiting teams to Britain if they are competing at events organised for and on behalf of the BCU then yes, CE approved helmets have to be worn. If that competition is organised under ICF or other rules then those rules apply.
All level of competition in Britain is affected except those organised under other rules e.g. ICF.
Yes, regional level events within BCU are affected.
Paul, the CE PPE is a directive from Europe that is the law of this land.
The BCU cannot alter this as a fact but can, does and did make representation as the law and CE was being drafted and we attended the pan European CE helmet committee.
CE helmets have been in production since around 1995 so most people will have them by now. The ACE helmet with the belt buckle ( Pin and "H" chin strap fitting) does not meet the criteria. The standard is so low at impact
that the only helmet with a less stringent criteria is the "Cold Store bump helmet". The French and Germans wanted a higher 25 joules impact level (we wanted and got 15 joules). 25 joules would have meant even larger and heavier helmets.
There are a number of further issues....
The BCU has a "Duty of Care" to it's members. It is felt reasonable that, that a "floor" be in place for helmet protection. That floor is the CE standard. After all there are very few major head injuries in canoeing but
more than the odd minor cut or graze that helmets help protect.
Statistically it can be said that there is not a problem so let's keep it that way.
There is considerable "Lateral
transfer" of Polo equipment on to rivers
which can lead to in
appropriate equipment being used in that environment.
We have made the point informally to the ICF vice president about not only the helmet issue but also that the ICF buoyancy aid rule is different from CE. We received the reply that the ICF are not going to alter their
rules for or to CE because there
are a large number of non European
countries out there
attending world events. It is felt that insisting on the
CE mark was an impediment
to competition for those non European countries
some of limited financial
means.
My view is that the ICF also has a duty of care and arguably they need to
look at their rules.
Insurance is getting forever
tighter and more burocratic. The BCU has a
duty to be sensible and
do it's best to enable the sport to continue with
the minimum of fuss
whilst being prepared to stand up and be counted when an
injury
occurs.
The BCU has a duty to help, advise and protect organisers as much as it is able from possible litigation and a sensible recognised minimum "Floor" standard is a method of helping do this.
If you are unhappy about any matter relating to competition rules I recommend that the Polo Committee takes the issue as an Agenda item to the next Sports Management Committee.
Your letter gave me no clues as to where you are coming from. The above is I think a synopsis of BCU policy with a few personal comments to try to help you. I discussed this matter with Mike Devlin before penning this reply.
Kind regards,
Chris Hawkesworth.
Facilities and Planning Manager.