Water Safety
Whether at home, visiting family and friends or on holiday, it is always important to keep safety in mind when children are in or near water. Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under five. Drowning can occur quickly and quietly, without any warning noises. Sadly, on average, one child dies each week in Australia as a result of preventable drowning.
Most children who drown in home pools fall in by accident. Children drown quickly and silently, often without making any noise or splashing. Young children are naturally curious and attracted to water but do not yet understand the concept of danger, while parents can become complacent about safety around a familiar home environment.
In cases of child drowning in home pools, designated supervisors were often distracted by everyday tasks, such as a conversation with another person, answering the door or attending to another child, all of which give a young child time to wander away unnoticed.
Children have commonly gained access to the pool area through a fence or gate which had fallen into disrepair, the lack of a fence or a gate which had been deliberately propped open.
When left in and around the pool, pool toys can attract the attention of children who may try to get through or over a fence or reach out to try and get the toy from the pool’s edge. For this reason, all pool toys need to be securely stored out of sight and reach of children and never left in the pool when not in use.
Strategies for the prevention of child drowning are well understood and include active adult supervision, restricting a child’s access to water (commonly using correctly installed and regularly maintained pool fencing), teaching children water safety skills and learning how to respond in case of an emergency.
Children can drown in shallow water:
- swimming pools
- spas
- bath tubs
- rivers, creeks and oceans
- dams and lakes
Children also drown in less obvious locations:
- nappy buckets,
- toilets
- water tanks,
- water features
- fish ponds
- pets’ water bowls
Keep these safety tips in mind to make your home safer from these hidden hazards.
- Always stay within an arm’s reach of your child when he or she is in or near pools, spas, bathtubs, toilets or buckets.
- Keep doors to bathrooms and laundry rooms closed.
- Empty all buckets, containers and wading pools immediately after use. Store them upside-down and out of children’s reach.
- Keep toilet lids closed and use toilet seat locks.
- Close top loading washing machines.
- Never leave your child unattended in the bath or around any other body of water, even if he or she knows how to swim.
- Never leave your child alone or in the care of older children during bath time.
You can complete the free online CPR training at the link below
https://kidshealth.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/cpr-resuscitation
For more information on water safety please see the links below
https://www.kidsafensw.org/safety/home-community/water-safety/
https://www.royallifesaving.com.au/stay-safe-active/locations/water-safety-at-home