The Boat Safety Scheme (BSS)

In defining our brand we show you the essence of the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS):

• What we stand for.

• What sets us apart.

• The words we use.

• How we represent ourselves visually.

The Boat Safety Scheme isn’t a legal entity. It exists by way of a ‘collaboration’ set up by a Memorandum of Understanding in 1995 between the owners of the Scheme, British Waterways (now the Canal & River Trust), and the National Rivers Authority (now the Environment Agency). The Trust is currently the administering body for the BSS.

Our purpose is to help minimise the risk of boat fires, explosions, and pollution harming visitors to the inland waterways, the waterways’ workforce, and any other users; and to help protect adjacent property, as it’s to these parties that the Navigation Authorities may have duties in law.

The purpose is equally to contribute to the common goal to make the waterways a safe, attractive, and pleasant environment for all.

We help control hazards caused by inadequately constructed or maintained boats, or boat owners who misuse the boats’ equipment.

The Navigation Authorities employ, through the BSS, two broad approaches concerning privately- owned and privately-managed boats.

The BSS Examination – Firstly, the BSS supports the Navigation Authorities by helping monitor and develop their minimum safety legal requirements. These are the BSS General Requirements referred to as BSS Examination Checking Procedures (BSS ECP’s) expressed in goal-setting terms.
Meeting the Navigation Authorities’ minimum legal safety requirements is necessary  for boat owners to obtain a navigation licence on waterways controlled by those authorities that have adopted the Scheme. 

The BSS General Requirements are supported by expected means of compliance in the form of the checks set out in Parts 2 to 9 of the ECP’s.
Independent and authorised BSS Examiners carry out BSS Examinations and help the Navigation Authorities assess whether any given boat meets their minimum legal safety standards.

A BSS Examination at least once every four years is seen as a good audit of a boat’s compliant condition throughout its life.
Boats passing the examination are recorded as having a BSS Certification on the BSS database. Owners are provided with a BSS Certification report by the BSS Examiner when the boat complies with the BSS Requirements at the point of examination.

Long

The Boat Safety Scheme, or BSS, is a public safety initiative owned equally by the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency.
Its purpose is to help minimise the risk of boat fires, explosions, and pollution harming visitors to the inland waterways, the waterways’ workforce, and any other users.
It’s supported and promoted by the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities. The Scheme is administered by © Canal & River Trust which is a registered charity in England and Wales (1146792).

Short

The Boat Safety Scheme, or BSS, is a public safety initiative owned equally by the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency.

Its purpose is to help minimise the risk of boat fires, explosions, and pollution harming visitors to the inland waterways, the waterways’ workforce, and any other users.

Brief

The Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) helps prevent fires, explosions, pollution, and carbon monoxide risks on boats through its routine examination of installed systems and promoting the safe use of fuels and appliances.

Empathy

Understanding.
Rapport.
Sensitivity.

We understand each others’ experiences, needs, and desires in everything we do.

We build rapport, nurturing strong relationships with all our audiences and communicating with them in a clear and concise way.

We promote sensitivity and are always responsive and reactive to others’ feelings.

Courtesy

Politeness.
Kindness.
Thoughtfulness.

We remain polite and courteous in all our communications.

We’re kind towards others in all our activities.

We’re always thoughtful – taking time and effort to make tasks easier for others.

Inclusivity

Respectfulness.
Equality.
Fairness.

We respect all individuals, and treat everyone in an equal and fair way.

We’re kind, caring, and compassionate in everything we do.

We work with others to understand their needs.

We respect individuals’ background and circumstances.

We demonstrate our core values of empathy, courtesy, inclusivity, and quality by placing others – rather than ourselves – at the heart of everything we do.

We’re proud of the relationships we build and how we work with all our stakeholders to enhance the lives of others.

We pride ourselves on our key vision of ‘Go boating, Stay safe,’ and ensure all our activities are aligned to this goal.

We ensure communication with all our stakeholders is clear, concise, open, and constructive – encompassing all audiences in a friendly, approachable, fair, and
equal manner.

Our tone is based on the following guiding principles:

Fairness
We have a wide range of audiences, so we take care to build bridges, not barriers, and avoid language that could alienate or stigmatise.

Purposeful
We believe we have a mission, but that doesn’t mean we should preach or lecture nor use angry, aggressive, or threatening language. We use crisp active verbs to express drive, energy, and positive choices.

Supportive
We’re real people with empathy and we understand people’s lived experiences, even when they’re serious or worrying.

We can also show the lighter side of our personality where it’s fitting and as long as it doesn’t undermine an important message. A friendly, supportive tone can open people to actions they may be otherwise resistant to take. Directness, simplicity, and honesty can make messages easy to digest and behaviours easy to adopt.

Honest
Our team is knowledgeable and supported with the most competent advisors we can find. We ensure all we say is evidence-based, without over-claims or over-hyping. Precision and accuracy are our watchwords.

Consistent
We endeavour to be consistent in our terminology and our messages, whether we’re using acronyms, words, phrases, or images.

Active
Our communications promote action from people that will reduce risk and make them safer, such as fit alarms, make emergency action plans, and identify problems early before harm occurs. We promote simple checks for systems and appliances with easy and basic actions – sight, touch, smell, or even hearing. It’s reflected in our language – upbeat, encouraging, and action orientated.

Positive
We need to deliver serious messages but avoid negativity. Too much doom and gloom could disengage the people we wish to protect.

Authoritative
While as often as possible we guide and suggest positive steps, on occasion our communications have to relay a message a person may not wish to hear.