DIY Safe Anti-fouling Initiative launched at the London Boat Show

Trevor Fielding, the BCF's Regulatory Affairs Manager, and Sarah Dhanda, British Marine's Chief Officer of Membership and Services, at the launch of the DIY Safe Anti-fouling Initiative © London Boat Show

British Marine, along with the British Coatings Federation (BCF) and Royal Yachting Association (RYA), today (Sunday 8 January 2017) kicked off the new joint DIY Safe Anti-fouling Initiative with a public launch event at the London Boat Show 2017.

Trevor Fielding, the BCF's Regulatory Affairs Manager, and Sarah Dhanda, British Marine's Chief Officer of Membership & Services, at the launch of the DIY Safe Anti-fouling Initiative The Show's thousands of visitors will be among the first to learn from this awareness scheme which aims to inform and educate boat owners of the hazards associated with antifouling their boats. It also details the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required to ensure that antifouling (AF) paints are being used properly.

This new initiative follows over a year's work by the BCF Marine Coatings Group, including the undertaking of the most comprehensive survey exploring the DIY use of antifouling paints in the UK. Though the survey found that more than 90% of boat owners were safely antifouling their vessels, it displayed a number of areas for improvement, such as better guidance on preparing the boat and disposing of waste paint.

In response, these three industry associations joined forces to create an array of promotional and advisory tools. They range from in-depth, step-by-step guidance documents for individual owners to awareness posters to be displayed across the nation's network of marinas, chandlers and boatyards, all of which were unveiled at the London Boat Show today.

Ross Wombwell, Technical Manager at British Marine, commented: "British Marine is proud to be supporting this initiative with its industry counterparts. This is a campaign which promotes safety whilst boating and provides guidance which is easy to follow, ensuring peace of mind for all current and future boat owners and the industry as a whole."

Emma Barton, Planning and Environmental Manager at the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), said: "It's important to know that antifouling paints are being used properly and that boat owners are aware of the potential hazards associated with antifouling their boats. The DIY Safe Antifouling Initiative 2017 will help to raise awareness of those hazards and to highlight the importance of using the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment."

To find out more, or to download any of these tools, visit www.safeantifouling.com.