Safety Boat Services
Safety boat cover for work on and near water
If your team is working on or next to water, having a safety boat and trained crew on standby means anyone who ends up in the water can be reached quickly. EPS provides safety boat cover and workboat support for construction, maintenance and survey work on rivers, canals, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries and the coast.
All our boat operators hold the RYA Powerboat Level 2 certificate and a Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work qualification. We’re based in Manchester and cover most of the UK.
Safety and rescue standby
We provide a boat and crew on standby while work goes on over or beside the water. Typical jobs include:
- Bridge inspections and repairs
- Scaffolding put up over or next to watercourses
- Culvert, outfall and riverbank works
- Pontoon and jetty works
- Civil engineering works next to deep or fast-flowing water
Before work starts, we agree the rescue arrangements with your site team. The boat then stays in position covering the work area for as long as people are at risk.
Workboat and crew support
As well as rescue cover, our boats can support the work itself:
- Moving people, tools and materials across or along the water
- Giving access to areas that are hard to reach from the bank
- Supporting surveys, sampling and inspections from the water
Qualified, first aid trained crew
Every operator holds the RYA Powerboat Level 2 certificate and is trained to Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work, so the person in the boat can both reach a casualty and give first aid until help arrives.
We provide risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) for every safety boat job, ready to go into your site paperwork.
Where we work
- Rivers and canals
- Lakes, reservoirs and ponds
- Inshore waters and estuaries
- Coastal sites
Ecology and boat cover from one team
Because we’re ecologists as well as boat operators, we can cover the water and the wildlife on the same job. That might mean fish rescues during dewatering, river surveys, or invasive species work along a riverbank. You’d have one contractor and fewer people on site, and the team in the boat would understand the ecology side of the job.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a safety boat for my works?
If people will be working over or next to water where they could fall in, your risk assessment may well call for rescue cover. It’s common on bridge, scaffolding and riverbank works. If you’re not sure, get in touch and we’ll talk it through.
What qualifications do your boat operators have?
All our operators hold the RYA Powerboat Level 2 certificate and a Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work qualification.
Do you provide RAMS?
Yes. We provide risk assessments and method statements for every safety boat job.
Can you combine safety boat cover with ecology work?
Yes. We often provide boat support alongside fish rescues and river surveys, so one team can cover both.
Do you only work in Manchester?
No. We’re based in Manchester and provide safety boat cover across most of the UK.
Planning works on or near water?
Tell us where the work is, what kind of water it’s on, what the works involve and the dates you need cover for, and we’ll come back to you with a quote.
Fish Surveys and Fish Rescue
Safely capture and relocate fish before work to protect aquatic life and habitats.
Protected Species Surveys
Find out whether protected wildlife uses your site before works start.
Biodiversity Net Gain
Quantify habitat losses and gains to secure an uplift in biodiversity.
Invasive Species Surveys
Map and ID non‑native plants to guide land management & protect biodiversity.
Preliminary Ecological Appraisal
PEAs rapidly assess a site’s habitats and species to flag ecological issues early.
River Condition Assessments
Measure the condition of a river to support BNG and planning applications.