Water is only safe while you are watching
Water. It’s only safe while you’re watching
The Royal Life Saving Society has launched a new national pool safety awareness campaign, warning that water is only safe while you’re watching, in an effort to remind parents not to become complacent about pool safety this summer.
In Western Australia 62 children drowned between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2017, with 32 (52%) of these occurring in home swimming pools. More recently, two toddlers, both aged two, have drowned in Perth backyard pools in the last three weeks.
Nationally between July 2002 and June 2017 461 children aged 0-4 years drowned in Australia. Of these, 231 (50%) occurred in home swimming pools (including backyard swimming pools, portable pools and outdoor spas). In 100% of child drowning cases in home swimming pools, active adult supervision had either lapsed or was entirely absent. For every toddler drowning death approximately ten children were admitted to hospital as the result of non-fatal drowning.
Lauren Nimmo, Senior Manager Health Promotion and Research at the Royal Life Saving Society WA says, “Australians are comfortable around water. Many have grown up swimming in the backyard pool, going to the beach, playing with the garden sprinkler, or paddling down at the river. This familiarity means that parents can let their guard down, even if just for a moment, and this complacency can lead to disaster.”
“In WA we have had a significant decrease in toddler pool drowning deaths due to our strict pool fencing legislation and increased community awareness. However, drowning can happen in seconds, and active adult supervision is essential to preventing children drowning in backyard swimming pools.” said Ms Nimmo.
An RLSSWA study of child drowning deaths in home swimming pools over a 10 year period showed that in 56% of cases, the child gained access to the pool area through a faulty fence or gate, or a gate which had been deliberately propped open, allowing the child to enter the pool area unaccompanied. Toddler drowning deaths can be prevented by pool owners never propping gates open and taking the time to check that their gate is self-closing and self-latching and there are no gaps or broken panels.
Lauren Nimmo says, “Most parents take precautions when it comes to their child’s safety around water and think that this won’t happen to them. The fact is life gets busy and is full of distractions, and it only takes a fleeting moment for an unsupervised child to access the pool and drown.”
“It’s common at this time of year to have family gatherings and backyard BBQs with friends, which brings additional distractions into the home. It’s vital that during these gatherings an adult is designated to supervise children, and that children are not left in the care of older siblings.”
The campaign is the latest initiative of Royal Life Saving’s Keep Watch program, aiming to prevent drowning deaths of children under the age of five. The four Keep Watch messages are; supervise children within arm’s reach, prevent access to water, familiarise children with water and learn how to resuscitate.
As part of the campaign Royal Life Saving has released a series of community service announcements on television, radio and online, which will run all summer.
The Keep Watch program has been active in WA for over 20 years, and in 2017 the Keep Watch campaign is proudly supported by the Department of Health WA and Principal Community Partner BHP.
For further facts and information visit click the link below and join the conversation online via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, using #KeepWatch.
