Small children can drown in less than one inch of water, which makes it important to exercise water safety in and nearby water.
Facts And Figures On Water Safety
Facts: 52% of all drowning incidents among young children in Australia took place at swimming pools.
Children under five years old are at most risk. In the past years, several deaths occurred in swimming pools across Australia.
Drowning risks are not just limited to recreational swimming areas like swimming pools, lakes, and rivers. It can even occur in less than two inches of water, such as bathtubs and buckets.
Drowning is silent, which makes every second count when small children are in or near the water. Even a few moments of inattention can result in tragic consequences.
Water safety for children starts with proper supervision and exercising extra caution when spending time with even the smallest amount of water. By learning how to recognise common drowning dangers and knowing to provide first aid treatment, you can keep all kids safe at all times.
All parents and caregivers are encouraged to take a course in first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
4 Water Safety Tips To Keep Children Safe
There are several ways to keep children safe from drowning danger and other risks when spending time around water.
1. Practice Active Supervision
Parents and caregivers actively supervising the child is the key to drowning prevention. Children ages five and below must be actively supervised, meaning; they should always be in the direct line of sight of an adult.
They must stay within arm’s reach of the assigned supervisor, regardless of their swimming ability (both swimmer and non-swimmer).
Active supervision is the parents’ and guardians’ responsibility. While there are mostly lifeguards in the area, they cannot provide the close and constant supervision that small children need.
Also, remember that any floatation devices (lifejacket, vest, ring buoys, etc.) do not substitute for active supervision.
2. Stay Within Designated Swim Areas
Never encourage children to swim in water that is deeper than their swimming abilities. Always follow guidelines from local lifeguards and signages in the area, especially when swimming in lakes, oceans, or any open water.
Most locals are familiar with the water and know how it changes daily, so it’s wise to follow their water safety recommendations.
3. Install A compliant Pool Fence
All private swimming pools in Australia follow specific compliance when installing pool fences that a qualified safety inspector should approve. For portable pools, guidelines suggest filling them with water to a depth of more than 300 millimetres (mm).
Installing a compliant pool fence will help prevent children from drowning. In fact, non-compliant swimming pools are involved in over three-quarters of drowning accidents in Queensland alone.
For pool guidelines, check with the local authority about the compliance pool fence in the area.
4. Learn CPR
While we hope children will follow all these guidelines and water safety practices, the unfortunate truth is that accidents happen.
For drowning incidents and pool-related accidents involving a child, parents and other bystanders in the area are typically the first ones to respond.
As parents, it is critical to understand and know lifesaving skills, especially administering CPR for children and even adults. Performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in drowning and near-drowning accidents can be the difference between life and death/
Get trained through a registered training organisation (RTO) and learn CPR for future use.
Learn More About Water Safety
Spending time around water is a big part of growing up. Following water safety guidelines is the first step to making fun, exciting memories that will last a lifetime.
Most children love being around water, so it is important to learn these water safety tips to keep them safe at all times.
Learn more safety tips by enrolling in a first aid course.
Contact us to find out more.
