WATER SAFETY

1
WATER SAFETY

• INFORMATION AND PREVENTION

2
Training Objectives

• Recognize risk factors associated with
  unintentional drowning
• Identify ways to prevent in-home drowning
• Identify ways to prevent swimming pool drowning

3
Unintentional Drownings

• In the United States, drowning is the second
  leading cause of unintentional injury-related
  deaths among children, taking more than 2,000
  young lives each year.

4
Unintentional Drownings

• Young children, age four and under, have the
  highest drowning death rate. Of the 13 Missouri
  children who drowned in 2006, six (46) were age
  four and under.

5
Missouri Child Deaths Due to Unintentional
Drowning

• In 2006, a 10-month-old child was left to play in
  the bathtub while her mother finished getting
  dressed. When the mother returned to the bathtub,
  the baby was facedown in four inches of water.

6
Missouri Child Deaths Due to Unintentional
Drowning

• In 2006, a large group of children were on an
  outing at a state park. Five of the children were
  swimming in the river when one of them began to
  drown when the four other children attempted to
  help, they, too were caught in the undertow and
  all five drowned. There were no adults with the
  children when they went into the water and none
  of them were wearing a personal floatation
  device.

7
Missouri Child Deaths Due to Unintentional
Drowning

• In 2006, a 15-month-old was sent outside to play
  with his six-year-old brother. Less than ten
  minutes later, the six-year-old found the toddler
  in the swimming pool, where he had drowned.
• In 2006, two young children wandered out of the
  house and drowned in a swimming pool, while their
  parents and grandparents were occupied watching a
  television program.

8
Information About Drowning

• The American Academy of Pediatrics states that
  children must be watched by an adult at all times
  when in or near water. Children can drown in
  swimming pools, other bodies of water, and
  standing water around the home.

9
Information About Drowning

• Examples of standing water
• ?Bathtubs, even with baby bathtub supporting
  ring devices
• ?Buckets and pails, especially 5-gallon
  buckets and diaper pails
• ?Ice chests with melted ice
• ?Toilets
• ?Hot tubs, spas, and whirlpools
• ?Fish ponds, fountains
• ?Irrigation ditches, post holes, and wells

10
How to Prevent In-Home Drowning Deaths

• There are many things that can be done to prevent
  In-Home drowning deaths. The U.S. Consumer
  Product Safety Commission suggests the following
  
• ?Never leave a baby alone in a bathtub
• even for a second. Always keep a baby
• in arms reach.

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How to Prevent In-Home Drowning Deaths

• ?Never leave young children alone or with
  young siblings in a bathtub even if you are using
  a bath seat or ring. Children can drown quickly
  and silently.
• ?Keep the toilet lid down, and keep young
  children out of the bathroom when unsupervised.
  Consider placing a latch on the bathroom door out
  of reach of young children.

12
How to Prevent In-Home Drowning Deaths

• ?Be sure all containers that hold liquids are
  emptied immediately after use. Do not leave empty
  containers in yards or around the house where
  they may accumulate water and attract young
  children.
• ?Always secure the safety cover on your spa or
  hot tub.
• ?Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)-it
  can save a life.

13
How to Prevent In-Home Drowning Deaths

• The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests more
  tips to prevent In-Home drowning deaths
• ?Empty all buckets, pails, and bathtubs
  completely after each use-do not leave them
  filled and unattended.
• ?Set your water heat thermostat so that the
  hottest temperature at the faucet is 120F to
  avoid burns.

14
How to Prevent In-Home Drowning Deaths

• ?Watch children closely when they are playing
  near wells, open post holes, or irrigation or
  drainage ditches. Fill in empty holes or have
  fences installed to protect your child.
• ?Caution children about the risks of drowning
  during the winter by falling through thin ice.

15
How to Prevent Swimming Pool Drowning Deaths

• The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests tips
  to prevent drowning deaths while children are
  playing in water
• ?Never let a child swim in any body of water
  without an adult watching.
• ?Be sure the adult watching your child knows
  how to swim, get emergency help, and perform CPR.

16
How to Prevent Swimming Pool Drowning Deaths

• ?Teach children safety rules and make sure
  they are obeyed.
• ?Teach children to swim once he or she is
  ready (usually around 5 years old).
• ?Keep a life preserver and shepherds hook in
  the pool area to help pull a child to the edge of
  the pool when necessary.
• ?Dont let young children and children who can
  not swim use inflatable toys or mattresses in
  water that is above the waist.

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How to Prevent Swimming Pool Drowning Deaths

• ?Teach your child safety rules and make sure
  these are obeyed
• Never swim alone.
• Never dive into water except when permitted
  by an adult who knows the depth of the water and
  who has checked for underwater objects.
• Always use a life jacket when on a boat,
  fishing, or playing in a river or stream.

18
How to Prevent Swimming Pool Drowning Deaths

• ?If there is a pool in the yard, put up a
  fence to separate your house from the pool. Most
  young children who drown in pools wander out of
  the house and fall into the pool. Install a fence
  at least 4 feet high around all 4 sides of the
  pool. The fence will completely separate the pool
  from the house and play area of the yard. Use
  gates that self-close and self-latch, with
  latches higher than your childrens reach.

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How to Prevent Swimming Pool Drowning Deaths

• ?A power safety cover that meets the standards
  of the American Society for Testing and Materials
  (ASTM) adds to the protection of your children
  but should not be used in place of the fence
  between your house and pool. Even fencing around
  your pool and using a power safety cover will not
  prevent all drownings.

20
How to Prevent Swimming Pool Drowning Deaths

• ?Remove all toys from the pool after use so
  children arent tempted to reach for them.
• ?After the children are done swimming, secure
  the pool so they cant get back into it.

21
For More Information, Visit these Web Sites

• American Academy of Pediatrics,
  http//www.aap.org/healthtopics/watersafety.cfm
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,
  http//www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml03/03177.
  html
• Safe Kids USA, http//www.usa.safekids.org/NSKW.cf
  m

22
Missouri Department of Social Services State
Technical Assistance Team

• Address
• PO Box 208Jefferson City, MO 65102-0208
• Telephone [phone](800) 487-1626(8 a.m.
  to 5 p.m. CST, Monday Friday)
• Email
•  dls.stat_at_dss.mo.gov