Marine Safety in Victoria Report 2007-2008 (PDF, 1.3 MB, 72 pp.)

5.5.2 Motor boating and boating not specified (n=279)
There were 41 hospital admissions and 238 ED presentations for injuries that occurred in recreational
motor boating and ‘other’ recreational boating. The type of vessel involved in these injury incidents is not
recorded on the VAED or well recorded on the VEMD.
5.5.2.1 Hospital admissions (n = 41)
Motor boating and general boating (not specified) cases accounted for 18% of all hospital admissions for
recreational boating-related injuries. Males were over-represented in cases (70%). Admissions peaked in
45-49 year olds (20%), followed by 60-64 year olds (15%) then 40-44 year olds (10%).
Injuries were most commonly to the lower extremity (34%), followed by the trunk (22%), the upper
extremity (20%) and the head/face/neck (15%). Fractures accounted for 59% of hospitalisations, followed
by dislocation/sprain/strain (10%), injury to muscle or tendon (7%) and open wounds (5%). The most
common specific injuries were: lower knee and lower leg fracture (20%), rib fracture (10%) and elbow/
forearm fracture (7%).
Thirty-two percent of cases were admitted to hospital for less than 2 days, 61% stayed 2-7 days and 7%
(n=3 cases) stayed 8-30 days. The longest stays (11, 14 and 15 days) were related to neck, hip and thigh
and knee and lower leg injury (fracture or injury to muscle/tendon).
The VAED does not include any descriptive data on the circumstances of the injury. However, some
admissions are also recorded on the VEMD and narrative data on these cases provide some details on the
circumstances of the injury. Injury scenarios included:
• Trips/slips/falls: Fell when boat buffeted by wave/rough sea; Lost footing, fell onto bar; Fell down steps
while at party on cruise boat; Fell from steps on fly bridge onto swim platform then concrete; Fell
off boat onto trailer; Fell into water; Fell when boat hit pylon; Fell off top deck of houseboat; Tripped
carrying a 100kg boat motor; Tripped and fell; Slipped climbing off boat; Slipped on wet pier tying up
boat.
• Hit/struck/crushed: Hand caught/crushed in boat engine/bait box; Hand caught between boat and
ramp/car and boat trailer/ boat and jetty/ two boats/boat trailer; Foot caught in rope; Person crushed
when on front of boat and the boat moved forward; Person crushed between boat and other object;
Person hit by a boat.
• Cutting/piercing: Cut by boat chain; Cut leg.
• Burn: Burnt by heater when it caught fire; Contact burn when fuel leaked and ignited.
5.5.2.2 ED presentations (non-admissions) (n = 238)
There was a 7% decrease in the number of ED presentations for motorised and general boating in 2006/7
(n=238) compared with 2005/6 (n=255 cases).
Just over two-thirds of the ED presentations were male (67%). Half were aged 30-49 years and a further
quarter aged 15-29 years. Forty percent of injuries were to the lower extremity, 27% to the upper
extremity, 16% to the head/face/neck and 11% to the trunk. The hand, including fingers (14%), lower leg
(13%), foot, including toes (10%); and head, excluding face (9%) were the most common specific injury
sites. The most common injury diagnoses were: open wounds (34%); sprains/strains (15%); fracture/
dislocation (14%); superficial injury (13%); crush injury (6%); and injury to muscle/tendons (5%).
Marine Safety in Victoria: July 2007 to June 2008 55