Surf Life Saving Australia

IRB Injuries

Operating an IRB can be high risk. All persons involved in operating IRBs have a duty of care to prevent, as far as practicable, injuries from occurring.

There are common contributing factors to most injuries including:

  • Excessive speed
  • Incorrect operation of the IRB
  • Impact with the wave/ punching waves
  • Not secure in the IRB

For most incidents at a minimum the likely consequences will be:

  • Inability to take part in IRB operations and/ or active duties
  • Injury to the crew

Most injuries can be mitigated by the following:

General Crewperson Mitigation Strategies

  • Ensure correct/ appropriate crewing technique is utilised
  • Ensure correct locked-in position is used when punching waves
  • Maintain three points of contact
  • Wear shorts to reduce likelihood of slipping off buoyancy tube

General Driver Mitigation Strategies

  • Ensure appropriate use of speed and urgency to suit conditions and situation
  • Take care when negotiating the surf
  • Utilise the appropriate angle when negotiating waves
  • Avoid punching curling waves where possible
  • Ensure clear communication with the IRB Crewperson
  • Understand the limitations of the IRB and the IRB crew and ensure you drive accordingly

In addition to the above, this table shows the types of common injuries that may occur and how to minimise risk:

Some of these injuries include:

Injury Type Contributing Factors Consequences Crewperson Mitigation
Broken Ankle
  • slipping off the buoyancy tube
  • Major to severe injury to person
  • Ensure correct foot positioning and use of foot straps
  • Ensure foot straps are adjusted to fit
Neck Injury
  • Head position
  • Moderate to severe neck pain
  • Sprain/Strain
  • Whip lash
  • Suspected spinal injury
Head Injury
  • Head position
  • Rollover
  • Falling out of the IRB
  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Blurred vision
  • Open wound
  • Concussion
  • Unconsciousness
Broken Wrist
  • Slipping off the buoyancy tube
  • Major to severe injury to person
  • Ensure correct hand positioning
  • Ensure correct use of handles
Dislocated Knee
  • Twisting in the wrong direction
  • Major to severe injury to person
  • Ensure correct foot positioning and use of foot straps
Sprains & Strains
  • Twisting in the wrong direction
  • Major to severe injury to person
  • Ensure correct foot/ hand positioning and use of foot straps/ handles
Dislocated Shoulder
  • Slipping off the buoyancy tube
  • Major to severe injury to person
  • Ensure correct patient pickup technique is used
  • Wear shorts to reduce likelihood of slipping off buoyancy tube
Back Injury
  • Body position
  • Moderate to severe back pain
  • Back Strain
  • Suspect spinal injury
  • Ensure correct patient pickup technique is used

Other general considerations to reduce the risk of injury, fatigue, hypothermia and hyperthermia include:

  • Avoid operating the IRB for extended periods of time (especially in adverse weather i.e. wind, rain, extreme cold, extreme heat)
  • Take regular breaks
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Wear additional clothing to protect from weather extremes i.e. spray jacket, wetsuit etc.
  • Use sun protection – i.e. sunscreen & hat

Incident Reporting

All injuries or near-miss events that occur involving an IRB are incidents that need to be captured to ensure that improvements to safety management systems can occur. Ensuring these incidents are reported will foster a safety culture where IRB operators can be confident that safety is the main priority.