Preventing drowning

A child can drown silently in as little as 5 cm of water.

A child can drown in less than 2 minutes.

Drowning can happen in the most unlikely circumstances.

It can be as simple as a child playing with a bucket of water.

The more common drowning situations are in pools, rivers, dams and bathtubs.

Every year in Australia around 35 children under 5 years old drown.

Drowning is one of the most common cause of injury and unintentional death among those aged 0-5 years.

Children between 0-2 years are the most vulnerable.

Teaching children water awareness and elements of danger is important.

Supervising children at all times it critical.

The National Drowning Report which is prepared by Royal Life Saving Australia annually has shown in the 2016 report the number of children aged 0-4 years who drowned had decreased by 30% against the 10 year average of 30 drowning deaths.

This is a decrease of 38% against the 10 year average recorded for children aged 5-9 years.

These statistics are encouraging. We all must remain vigilant and not become complacent at these statistics.

A decrease in pool drownings in the under-fives indicates the industry and regulatory safety measures are finding some success.

There are 4 key elements that can help prevent drowning in young children.

1. Supervision – Nothing can replace the need of supervision.Supervision was completely absent in 59 per cent of drowning cases. Included in these statistics older siblings or other children left to supervise younger children in 6 per cent of cases
2. Eliminating any hazards – Taking measures to eliminate hazards is an effective prevention strategy. Buckets, child clams, bathtubs, sinks are left without water.
3. Taking environmental measures – Fencing, alarms, blocking access.
4. Education – Teach children to swim. Learn CPR.

We can follow the Keep Watch (www.keepwatch.com.au) principles.

Alternatively, Kids Alive:  www.kidsalive.com.au  Do the five principles. Supervise children around water at all times.

Ensure you have completed all the safety checks such as trimming bushes and hedges around the pool.

Check the fence is secure and the gate latch is working Restrict children’s access to water, etc.