Drowning is the second leading cause of
unintentional injury-related deaths to children ages 14 and under. A temporary lapse in
supervision is a common factor in most drownings and near-drownings. Child drownings can
happen in a matter of seconds--in the time it takes to answer the phone. There is often no
splashing to warn of trouble. Children can drown in small quantities of water and are at
risk in their own homes from wading pools, bathtubs, buckets, diaper pails, and toilets as
well as swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs.
Deaths and Injuries
A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than
a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age 4 and under.
Each year, approximately 1,150 children ages
14 and under drown; more than half are preschoolers (ages 0-4).
Each year, an estimated 5,000 children ages
14 and under are hospitalized due to near-drownings.
Of children surviving near-drownings, 5-20
percent suffer severe and permanent disability.
Where Drownings Happen
Approximately 50 percent of preschooler
drownings occur in residential swimming pools.
Each year, more than 2,000 preschooler
near-drownings occur in residential pools.
Of preschooler pool drownings, 65 percent
occur in the child's home pool and 33 percent at the homes of friends, neighbors or
relatives.
Each year, 350 drownings (for all ages)
happen in bathtubs.
Each year, approximately 40 children drown
in five-gallon buckets.
In ten states--Alaska, Arizona, California,
Florida, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington-- drowning surpasses all
other causes of death to children ages 14 and under.
How and When Drownings Happen
Of all preschoolers who drown, 70 percent
are in the care of one of both parents at the time of the drowning.
Of all preschoolers who drown, 75 percent
are missing from sight for five minutes or less.
Two-thirds of all drownings happen between
May and August.
Of all drownings, 40 percent occur on
Saturdays and Sundays.
Who is at Risk
Of all age groups, children ages 1-4 have
the highest drowning death rate.
American Indian and Alaska Native children
ages 14 and under have a drowning death rate that is nearly two times higher than white
children. A total of 55 percent of these drowning deaths occur in natural bodies of water.
African-American children ages 4 and under
have a drowning death rate that is lower than white children and lower than children in
the overall population.
African-American children ages 5-14 have a
drowning death rate that is nearly three times higher than white children.
Costs
Health care costs per near-drowning victim
typically range from $75,000 for initial emergency room treatment to $180,000 a year for
long-term care.
The annual economic costs of residential
pool drownings and near-drownings of young children are estimated to be $450 million to
$650 million.
Prevention
While there is no substitute for adult
supervision, safeguards and barriers around pools and hot tubs provide additional
protection for children.
Estimates predict that the widespread use of
pool fencing would prevent 50-90 percent of pediatric pool drownings and near-drownings.
Parents whose children have drowned say the
day of the tragedy started out just like any other day. No matter how the drowning
happened or where it happened -- pool, spa, or any other body of water -- one thing was
the same, the seconds that claimed their child's life slid by silently, without warning,
and can never be brought back.
It is a fact that drowning is the leading
cause of injury death of children under five years of age in 18 states.
Facts About Drowning
Children drown during routine household
activities, with adults present and providing normal levels of supervision.
Most children who drowned or nearly drowned
were last seen in the house or away from the pool or spa.
Action Step: Protection
Use layers of barrier protection between the
child and water to warn and impede. Pool and spa owners can take practical steps to make
their pool and spa less dangerous by installing "layer of protection." These
include:
Alarms on doors and windows leading to the
water, installed about five feet above ground level so that a child cannot reach them.
A non-climbable, five-foot fence that
separates the pool/spa from the residence should be installed. Openings should be no more
than four inches wide so children cannot squeeze through the spaces.
Self-closing and self-latching gates and
doors leading to the pool/spa with latches above a child's reach. Gates should open
outward.
Pool safety covers (power operated are the
safest and easiest to use).
Action Step: Supervision
Water with its rippling, shimmering appeal is
a magnet for children. Children under the age of five have no fear of water and no concept
of death. They associate water with play not with danger. Adults must establish and
communicate responsibility for child safety.
Assign an adult "water watcher" to
supervise the pool/spa area or any other body of water, especially during social
gatherings.
Assign a second adult to maintain constant
visual contact with children in the pool/spa area or any body of water that might attract
a child. Don't assume someone else is watching a child.
Never leave a child alone near a pool/spa,
bathtub, toilet, water filled bucket, pond or any standing body of water in which a
child's nose and mouth may be submersed.
Don't rely on swimming lessons, life
preservers, or any other equipment to make a child "water safe".
Don't allow children to play in the pool/spa
area.
Look in the pool area first if
a child is missing.
Communicate pool safety measures with the
baby-sitter and train the sitter in CPR.
Action Step: Preparation
Insist anyone over 14 years of age have
current CPR in infant/child safety.
Communicate pool safety measures with the
baby-sitter and train the sitter on infant/child CPR.
Learn how to swim and learn rescue
techniques.
Mount rescue equipment by the pool such as a
lifesaving ring, shepherd's hook, and a CPR sign.
Post 9-1-1 emergency phone number on all
phones. Have phone near pool area.
Drowning accidents are the leading cause of
injury/deaths among children under five. More than 80 percent of the drownings occur in
residential backyard pools or spas. It can happen quickly, always without warning, without
a splash, and without a cry for help. To help avoid such a tragedy, please read the
following pool safety tips.
Secure Pool Area
A fence or barrier completely surrounding the
pool can prevent many drowning accidents. Most children who drown or nearly drown were
last seen in the yard, porch, or patio prior to the accident. Although a fence separating
the pool and spa in the single most effective barrier for preventing childhood drownings,
not one method alone is totally effective in preventing drowning accidents. Pool owners
can take practical steps to make their pools and spas less dangerous by installing
"layers of protection".
I. Pools should be fenced
from the rest of the house. Fences should be five feet high.
II. The area adjacent to the
outside of the fence must be free of objects which may aid children in climbing over the
fence. These include items such as chairs, tables, tree branches, etc.
III. Gates should be
self-closing and self-latching, opening outward away from pool.
IV. A gate latch should be
placed at the top of the gate and be inaccessible from the outside by small children.
V. All doors and windows
leading to the pool should always be secured and locked at all times.
VI. Additional "layers
of protection" include safety covers, alarms on doors and motion-detection devices.
VII. Remember pool covers,
gates and other layers of protection do not replace adult supervision.
VIII. Assign an adult Water
Watcher to supervise the pool/spa area, especially during social gatherings.
Effective Supervisions
I. Never allow young children
to be left alone in and around the pool for a moment. Make sure an adult is always
present.
II. Babysitters and guardians
should always be instructed about potential hazards in and around the pool.
III. Never rely on flotation
devices or swimming lessons to protect a child. Twenty-five percent of all drowning
victims have had swimming lessons.
IV. Mount flotation devices
designed for lifesaving near the pool. Many float-type toys are thought to be lifesavers.
They are not! They are only toys and should be used only as toys.
V. Look in the pool area
first if a child is missing.
VI. Never keep toys around or
in a pool.
VII. All adults, children and
Baby-sitters should learn and practice CPR.
VIII. Keep a telephone
outside the pool area. Post the 9-1-1 emergency number on the telephone.
Yell for Help and get the child out
of the pool and onto the pool deck.
If someone is with you, have them call
9-1-1. Determine if the child is breathing: tilt the head back; if you don't hear or
feel breathing or see the chest rising, begin CPR immediately. Continue CPR until
emergency help arrives.
If you are alone and the child is not
breathing, start CPR immediately. After one minute, call 9-1-1. Return to the child and
continue CPR until help arrives.
