POOL & SPA INDUSTRY
Drowning Prevention
With around 400 people drowning in the UK every year, we look at the efforts made by The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) in highlighting the issue through their Drowning Prevention Week campaign
W
ith so many preventable accidents we can all have a role to play in drowning prevention. Managers of pool
and spa facilities are being encouraged to take part in a national drowning prevention campaign to help ensure families know how to have fun and stay safe near water all year round.
Drowning Prevention Week, the national campaign of drowning prevention charity the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), aims to cut down the number of drowning and near drowning incidences that happen. Around 400 people needlessly drown in the UK every year and thousands more suffer injury, some life changing, through near-drowning experiences. Putting this into context, one person dies every 20 hours in the UK. Drowning is also the third highest cause of accidental death of children in the UK. The latest available figures show that of the 381 drowning incidences recorded in 2013, 59 were death by drowning linked to swimming activities. It is worth noting here that six people lost their lives in swimming pools and also that none of these pools had a lifeguard in attendance. RLSS UK is the UK’s drowning prevention
charity. Its core purpose is to deliver a year on year reduction in the rate of British and Irish people drowning every year. The charity’s awareness raising Drowning Prevention Week campaign (20 -28 June 2015) is predominantly aimed at children, teaching them vital water safety information for them to take with them into adult life. Throughout the week water safety is promoted in schools, leisure centres, local communities, businesses and widely through the media.
A host of free resources that deliver water safety messages have been produced to help people promote water safety in their local communities, such as lesson plans, pool session plans, films, games and activities, posters and safety leaflets.
The campaign also aims to raise money
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
to help develop the charity’s year round drowning prevention work, and welcomes donations and fundraising activity. RLSS UK Chief Executive Di Steer said: “The number of accidental drowning incidences has, over the last few years, reached a plateau of around 400. There is no quick fix to get this number down further. There are many at-risk groups for many different reasons. Education to instil a change in behaviour is considered the only method that will reach the final 400, as well as future generations, and help prevent these tragic deaths and accidents. “But we can’t do it alone. We need everyone’s help to raise awareness about the reality of accidental drowning, and to get water safety at the forefront of people’s minds. We rely heavily on other organisations and groups to spread the word and we hope as many people as possible can get behind this year’s campaign.”
So what can you do to help spread the word? There are many ways you can get involved with Drowning Prevention Week. Encourage your customers to visit the campaign website
www.rlss.org.uk/dpw for all of the charity’s resources and to find out how they can help. This might include: • Water safety content in swimming lessons • Show and share our YouTube films • Give out our downloadable games and activities
• Fundraise or hold collections in aid of RLSS UK
• Re-tweet water safety messages on Twitter and Facebook
• Display and distribute water safety leaflets and posters.
THE SAFE CODE
Here in the UK, swimming pools are considered to be relatively safe places to swim, but we still see a small number of tragic but often preventable accidents. Below is an adapted SAFE code for wet leisure retailers to share with customers.
SPOT - SPOT THE DANGERS • When the pool is closed/not in use, consider how you will prevent children from gaining access. Can you fit an alarm where it is difficult to restrict access?
• Children should never be left to swim without adequate supervision
• Make sure the environment is free from clutter, trip and slip hazards
• A child who has just learnt to swim and swim confident can be high risk (especially in an open water environment). Try to make sure young swimmers understand that open water is very different and only to swim where there is adequate supervision.
ADVICE – TAKE ADVICE • For commercial pools make sure you read “Managing Health and Safety in Swimming Pools” Guide HSG 179
• Make sure you know children are good swimmers and have a basic understanding of water safety
• Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines on safe operations
• Buoyancy aids are never a replacement for adequate supervision.
FRIEND – GO WITH A FRIEND • Lone swimming presents the highest risk. • Group swimming means there is always someone to help in an emergency
• Make sure swimmers know to look out for each other.
EMERGENCY – KNOW WHAT TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY • Make sure there is a clear and simple emergency plan for your pool and that everyone who uses it knows what it is
• Make sure there is access to a phone • Responsible adults should know the basics of in water rescue, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid.
RLSS UK 01789 773994
www.rlss.org.uk
SPN June 2015 39
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