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Health Tips

Water Safety

• Drowning is defined as death by suffocation after submersion in a liquid medium. Near drowning is the term used when a person recovers, at least temporarily, from a drowning event.
  
  
• In the United States from 1993 to 1996, drowning was the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death to children under age 15. During this time, 4,063 drowning deaths occurred to children under age 15.
  
  
• It is estimated that for each childhood drowning death approximately four children are hospitalized for near-drowning.

• Two groups, children under age 4 years, and 15 to 19 years old experience the highest drowning rates.
  
  
• Males account for 92% of the drowning deaths in 15 to 19 age bracket.
  
  
• Five-gallon buckets pose a drowning hazard for young children, especially those between 7 and 15 months.
  
  
• Immigrant children in agricultural areas and black adolescent males are at increased risk for drowning.

• Among children aged 1-9, drowning is the second leading cause of death from injuries. Near-drownings can result in brain damage.
  
  
• Children under age one most often drown in bathtubs, buckets, and toilets.
  
  
• Children aged 1-4 most often drown in swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas.
  
  
• Children aged 5-14 most often drown in swimming pools and open water, such as lakes and rivers.
  
  
• 25-50% of adolescent and adult drownings involve alcohol use.
  
  
• In 40-50% of drownings among adolescent boys, alcohol is a major contributing factor.

• Children under age four are at highest risk for drowning in farm ponds.
  
  
• Drowning accounted for approximately 20% of farm fatalities among children under age 10 in Illinois and Wisconsin.
  
  
• Childhood drowning in rural areas often occur in non-pool settings, such as natural bodies of water and irrigation canals. Risk for drowning increases in muddy water of lakes, ponds, and rivers.
  
  
• Canals and rivers pose increased risk of drowning for immigrant children in agricultural areas.

• Aboveground pools -- Toddlers are better climbers than you might think, and should not be left alone near an aboveground pool.
  
  
• Baby pools -- Because these are shallow, parents are often persuaded children cannot drown in them.
  
  
• Bathtubs -- Never leave a child alone in the bathtub, and don't rely on a "bathtub ring" for tub safety.
  
  
• You also should be vigilant about water temperature -- make sure it's not too hot.
  
  
• Hot tubs and spas -- Since 1980, the CPSC has received reports of more than 700 hot tub deaths.
  
  
• Buckets -- The sturdy, five-gallon variety may pose a considerable threat to top-heavy babies and toddlers, who may topple into a bucket while playing or retrieving a toy and be unable to free themselves.

• Use the buddy system when swimming or boating
  
  
• Supervise children near water and other drowning hazards
  
  
• Use effective barriers around pools, ponds, and other drowning hazards
  
  
• Avoid swimming after dark
  
  
• Be aware of local weather conditions prior to engaging in recreational water activities
  
  
• Take a boating safety class before operating a boat or personal watercraft
  
  
• Know and understand local and state laws regarding boating, personal-floatation devices (PFD), and personal watercraft use
  
  
• Avoid using alcohol or other drugs prior to and during recreational water activities
  
  
• Require all persons to wear Coast Guard approved personal-flotation devices when involved in water-related recreational activities, regardless of swimming ability
  
  
• Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and encourage adolescents and adults to do the same
  
  
• Establish a rescue station near pools and ponds with clearly posted emergency numbers and first aid procedures
  
  
• Avoid weak or thawing ice on any body of water

• Call 9-1-1 immediately. The National Spa and Pool Institute advises installing a telephone or using a cordless phone in any pool area.
  
  
• If the victim is within throwing distance, throw a floatable object to them. This includes a life jacket, kick board or even an empty gallon jug.
  
  
• If the victim is within reaching distance, assist them by extending something long, such as a rope, pole, ring bowie or a tree branch.
  
  
• If you must enter the water to assist someone, take a flotation device large enough to carry two adults safety, says Jeff Ellis and Associates. Keep the device between you and the person in distress; even a child can put an adult at risk in deep water.

1. Swim Near A Lifeguard
   USLA statistics over a ten year period show that the chance of drowning at a beach without lifeguard protection is almost five times as great as drowning at a beach with lifeguards. USLA has calculated the chance that a person will drown while attending a beach protected by USLA affiliated lifeguards at 1 in 18 million (.0000055%).
   
   
2. Learn To Swim
   Learning to swim is the best defense against drowning. Teach children to swim at an early age. Children who are not taught when they are very young tend to avoid swim instruction as they age, probably due to embarrassment. Swimming instruction is a crucial step to protecting children from injury or death.
   
   
3. Never Swim Alone
   Many drownings involve single swimmers. When you swim with a buddy, if one of you has a problem, the other may be able to help, including signaling for assistance from others. At least have someone onshore watching you.
   
   
4. Don't Fight the Current
   USLA has found that some 80% of rescues by USLA affiliated lifeguards at ocean beaches are caused by rip currents. These currents are formed by surf and gravity, because once surf pushes water up the slope of the beach, gravity pulls it back. This can create concentrated rivers of water moving offshore. Some people mistakenly call this an undertow, but there is no undercurrent, just an offshore current. If you are caught in a rip current, don't fight it by trying to swim directly to shore. Instead, swim parallel to shore until you feel the current relax, then swim to shore. Most rip currents are narrow and a short swim parallel to shore will bring you to safety.
   
   
5. Swim Sober
   Alcohol is a major factor in drowning. Alcohol can reduce body temperature and impair swimming ability. Perhaps more importantly, both alcohol and drugs impair good judgement, which may cause people to take risks they would not otherwise take.
   
   
6. Leash Your Board
   Surfboards and bodyboards should be used only with a leash. Leashes are usually attached to the board and the ankle or wrist. They are available in most shops where surfboards and bodyboards are sold or rented. With a leash, the user will not become separated from the floatation device. One additional consideration is a breakaway leash. A few drownings have been attributed to leashes becoming entangled in underwater obstructions. A breakaway leash avoids this problem.
   
   
7. Don't Float Where You Can't Swim
   Nonswimmers often use floatation devices, like inflatable rafts, to go offshore. If they fall off, they can quickly drown. No one should use a floatation device unless they are able to swim. Use of a leash is not enough because a non-swimmer may panic and be unable to swim back to the floatation device, even with a leash. The only exception is a person wearing a Coast Guard approved life jacket.
   
   
8. Life Jackets = Boating Safety
   Some 80% of fatalities associated with boating accidents are from drowning. Most involve people who never expected to end up in the water, but fell overboard or ended up in the water when the boat sank. Children are particularly susceptible to this problem and in many states, children are required to be in lifejackets whenever they are aboard boats.
   
   
9. Don't Dive Headfirst, Protect Your Neck
   Serious, lifelong injuries, including paraplegia, occur every year due to diving headfirst into unknown water and striking the bottom. Bodysurfing can result in a serious neck injury when the swimmer's neck strikes the bottom. Check for depth and obstructions before diving, then go in feet first the first time; and use caution while bodysurfing, always extending a hand ahead of you.
   
   
10. At Home, You're the Lifeguard
    Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in many states for children age one and two. A major reason for this is home pools, which can be death traps for toddlers. Many of these deaths occur in the few moments it takes a parent to answer a telephone or doorbell. NEVER leave a child alone anywhere near a pool. Make sure it is completely fenced, that the fence is locked, and that there is no access from the home to the pool. Don't let your child or a neighbor's child get into the pool when you're not there.

1. Fencing
   The fence should be at least four feet tall and completely encircle the pool. It should have no handholds or footholds, openings smaller than four inches, a self-latching gate and no nearby objects that a child could climb. Chain-link fences should have openings smaller than 1 3/4 inches across. The gate's release mechanism should be inaccessible to a small child.
   
   
2. Alarm
   Install an alarm on the doors of the house that give access to the pool area. "You want to make sure that they're turned on, that they're used," says Dr. Gonda. "They may seem like a nuisance, but they can be absolute lifesavers."
   
   
3. Pool Cover
   Soft pool covers are unsafe. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends power safety covers which are strong enough to support the weight of two adults and a child. Remove any standing water from the pool cover, as a child can drown in just inches of water.

• Never leave children unsupervised by the pool.
  
  
• Keep a phone by the pool, both to summon emergency help and so you will not be tempted to step inside to answer a call.
  
  
• Limit toddler access to above-ground pools by removing any stepstools or other methods of climbing up when it is not in use.
  
  
• Always go into the water with a toddler.
  
  
• Do not depend on floats, rafts or "water wings."
  
  
• When you are not using the pool, take all toys and floats away.
  
  
• Learn CPR and emergency rescue techniques.

• Know the local weather conditions and forecast before swimming or boating. Thunderstorms and strong winds can be extremely dangerous to swimmers and boaters.
  
  
• Restrict activities to designated swimming areas, which are usually marked by buoys.
  
  
• Be cautious, even with lifeguards present.
  
  
• Use U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (life jackets) when boating, regardless of distance to be traveled, size of boat, or swimming ability of boaters.
  
  
• Remember that open water usually has limited visibility, and conditions can sometimes change from hour to hour. Currents are often unpredictable -- they can move rapidly and quickly change direction. A strong water current can carry even expert swimmers far from shore.
  
  
• Watch for dangerous waves and signs of rip currents -- water that is discolored, unusually choppy, foamy, or filled with debris.
  
  
• If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore. Once you are out of the current, swim toward the shore.

• Your children should wear life jackets at all times when on boats or near bodies of water.
  
  
• Teach your child how to put on his or her own life jacket.
  
  
• Make sure your child is comfortable wearing a life jacket and knows how to use it.
  
  
• Make sure the life jacket is the right size for your child. The jacket should not be loose. It should always be worn as instructed with all straps belted.
  
  
• Blow-up water wings, toys, rafts, and air mattresses should never be used as life jackets or life preservers. They are not safe.
  
  
• Adults should wear life jackets for their own protection and to set a good example.

Type 1 (Off-Shore Life Jacket): This jacket floats the best. It is designed to turn most people who are unconscious in the water from the face-down position to an upright and slightly backward position. This jacket helps the person to stay in that position for a long time. It is to be used in open water and oceans. It is available in only 2 sizes: 1 size for adults more than 90 pounds and 1 size for children less than 90 pounds.

Type 2 (Near-Shore Buoyancy Vest): This jacket can turn a person upright and slightly backwards but not as much as the Type 1 jacket. It may not always help an unconscious person to float face up. It is comfortable and comes in many sizes for children.

Type 3 (Flotation Device): This jacket is designed for conscious users in calm, inland water. It is very comfortable and comes in many styles. This life jacket is often used for water sports and should be used only when it is expected that the rescue can be done quickly.

Type 4 (Throwable Device): A life preserver is a cushion or ring and is not worn. It is designed to be used in two ways. It can be grasped and held until the person is rescued, or it can be thrown to someone in the water until he or she is rescued. It is not a toy and should only be used in a rescue situation. Check the label on the life preserver to be sure it meets US Coast Guard or state regulations.

• Think Ahead.
  Once you've started your dive, you don't have time to think. Know the depth of the water. Plan your dive path. Never dive where you don't know water depth or where there may be hidden obstructions.
  
  
• Steer Up.
  When you dive down, you must be ready to steer up. As you enter the water, your arms must be extended over your head, hands flat and aiming up. Hold your head up and arch your back. This way, your whole body helps you steer up, away from the bottom.
  
  Plan a shallow dive, immediately steering up. Don't try the straight vertical-entry dives you see in competition. These dives take a long time to slow down and must be done only after careful training and in pools designed for competitive diving.
  
  
• Heads and Hands Up.
  Your extended arms and hands not only help you steer up to the surface, they can also protect your head. If a diver's head hits bottom, major injury to neck and spine can result. So always remember, head and hands up!
  
  
• Control Your Dive.
  Sometimes divers lose control through improper use of hands and arms. Practice holding your arms extended, hands flat and tipped up. Like learning to swim or ride a bicycle, you have to learn to make the right moves automatically. Carefully rehearse the proper diving techniques before you dive.

• Do know the water depth before you dive.
  
  
• Do plan your dive path.
  
  
• Do be sure there are no submerged obstacles or surface obstacles.
  
  
• Do hold your head up, arms up, and steer up with your hands.
  
  
• Do keep arms extended and head and hands up during dive.
  
  
• Do practice carefully before you dive in.
  
  
• Do swim and dive with a "buddy'.
  
  
• Do test the diving board for its spring before using.
  
  
• Do remember that when you dive down, you must steer up.
  
  
• Do keep your dives simple.

• Don't dive into an aboveground pool or into the shallow end of a pool. Nine of ten diving injuries occur in six feet of water or less.
  
  
• Don't dive off the side of a diving board - dive straight ahead.
  
  
• Don't dive from the edge across the narrow part of a pool without having at least 25 feet of clear dive path in front of you.
  
  
• Don't run and dive. That can give you the same impact as a dive from a board.
  
  
• Don't do a back dive.
  
  
• Don't try fancy dives or dives with a straight vertical entry.
  
  
• Don't dive at or through objects such as inner tubes.
  
  
• Don't put diving equipment on a pool that wasn't designed for it.
  
  
• Don't dive from retaining walls, ladders, slides or other pool equipment.
  
  
• Don't dive from rooftops, balconies, ledges or fences.
  
  
• Don't dive from racing start blocks without direct supervision and the training of a qualified coach.
  
  
• Don't dive into unfamiliar bodies of water. Remember, 3 of 4 diving accidents happen in natural bodies of water like lakes and rivers.
  
  
• Don't swim and dive alone.
  
  
• Don't drink and dive. The slowing effects of alcohol or drugs on reaction time can be extremely dangerous in diving.

Red Cross

SafeUSA

US Consumer Product Safety Commission Clearinghouse

National Swimming Pool Foundation

National Safe Boating Council

U.S. Lifesaving Association

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