Incident Reporting Policy Resources

CG-BSX Policy Letter 23-01, CH-1 (26 Sep 2023) - Change 1 to Recreational Boating Incident Reporting

For incidents occurring on or after Jan. 1, 2024, the policy provides guidance on the reporting requirements in 33 CFR Parts 173 and 174 to avoid unnecessary reporting of occurrences to the Coast Guard.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs related to CG-BSX Policy Letter 23-01, CH-1. Grouped by topics: thresholds (damage and injury), “reportable” vs “not reportable” occurrences, and documentation.

New tools! Determining which incidents require a federal report

Reporting Decision Matrix - Quick Reference Flow Chart (2 pages), V1, June 2024 

Reporting Decision Detail - Supplement to Matrix, V1, June 2024

Incident type terms and definitions -- "old" to "new"

For purposes of recording incident-related data, table presents the old (recently-used) term labels against the revised term labels and definitions in CG-BSX PL 23-01, CH-1, section 4.

Policy implementation tasks for states

A checklist and chart present basic tasks or actions to take to align reporting systems, forms, training and related matters with requirements in CG-BSX PL 23-01, CH-1. Sample "to do" chart--also available as an editable Microsoft® Word document--was adapted from one state's tracking efforts.

National webinars on reporting policy changes

March 15 and 20, 2023 webinars on initial CG-BSX Policy Letter 23-01 (27 Jan 2023); and Nov. 7 and 13, 2023 webinars on CG-BSX Policy Letter 23-01, CH-1 Change 1 (26 Sep 2023).  PDFs of slides and speaker notes are included with the recording entries in NASBLA's eLearning Center

Incident Reporting Policy Project--2020 consensus recommendations

Collaboration between the USCG, States and NASBLA/ERAC resulted in comprehensive recommendations to inform development of national reporting policies and procedures. NASBLA membership voted to accept the recommendations on July 31, 2020. CG-BSX Policy Letter 23-01, CH-1 addresses one of the eight sections of this 2020 report. See also Resource Document, June 2020.

More guidance and best practices for reporting:

---Writing Report Narratives

---Documenting Alcohol and Drug Involvement

---Electric Shock Drownings

---Carbon Monoxide (CO) Incidents

---Human Performance Investigations


 

page last updated Oct. 9, 2024