Pool Safety - Supervise!

Child drownings, an inconvenient truth:
For the period 1994 to 2003 NZ statistics tell us, the total of 0 to 4 year old child deaths by drowning were confirmed at 111
This is an average of 11 deaths a year
Further, during the same period there were 373 child hospitalisations as a result of submersion injury, many resulting in irreversible brain damage

75% of these incidents were contributed to by the lack of adequate parental supervision of children in and around water hazards including the residential swimming pool
Refer to the Swish FAQ page for further details for swimming pool safety

Definitions of supervision, as recommended in Queensland and published in 2008:
Children 0 to 5 years = Parents must be in the water within arms length of their child
Children 6 to 10 years = Parents must be at the waters edge and have eye contact with their child
Children 11 to 15 years = Parents must provide supervision of their children and a designated lifeguard in overall control of the pool, should be nominated by the parents present
Special note:
A pool owner must ensure at least one designated lifeguard is appointed whenever their pool is in use... Remember, "Your Pool Your Responsibility"

Swish Pool Safety Supervision brochure
This new brochure has resulted from Swish initiatives during the last two years. The Swish objective, to get the lack of parental supervision, as confirmed by statistics, recognised as the prime contributor to child drownings by water safety organisations and authorities. Swish believes the next challenge in child drowning prevention includes the education of parents and caregivers rather than just continuing down the legislative path followed to date... Click here for a PDF download

To start your child in a FREE learn to swim program go to: http://www.uswim.com
And then also visit: http://www.youtube.com/poolsafely

Water Safety and Pool Compliance


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Want to know more about pool design, manufacture and installation? Go to: http://www.poolguild.org.nz

Case Study: Sydney, Australia in January 2007...
Eight children suffered drowning or near drowning in Sydney pools over an 11 day period!
Four received basic life support (BLS) within 5 minutes of immersion and survived with good functional neurological outcomes...
The other four were not discovered for over 5 minutes or more, and all died!
Sadly, had the Queensland government recommendations for child supervision around water hazards including swimming pools (itemised above) been followed, none of these children would have been in any danger of death by drowning...
Child 1: 4 years of age, at a relatives home, time unsupervised was at least 20 minutes = Died...
Child 2: 2 years old, at its own home, time unsupervised was under 5 minutes = Survived...
Child 3: 4 years old, at its own home, time unsupervised was less than 3 minutes = Survived...
Child 4: 2 years old, at relatives home, time unsupervised was at least 20 minutes = Died...
Child 5: 17 months old, at relatives home, time unsupervised less than 10 minutes = Died...
Child 6: 3.5 years old, at its own home, time unsupervised less than 1.5 minutes = Survived...
Child 7: 2.5 years old, at public pool = unsupervised for less than 5 minutes = Survived...
Child 8: 6 years old, in its own home, unsupervised for less than 20 minutes = Died...

While these statistics were compliled in a report entitled, Bystander basic life support, (MJA - volume 188 number 8 - 21 April 2008) highlighting the importance of CPR training for everyone but especially parents and lifeguards, it also reinforces the need for In-Water Supervision of children by parents for all children aged 6 years and under, around water hazards which include the home swimming or paddling pool...
For more information go to: www.watersafe.org.nz/page.asp?page=184