Pool Safety

You must be aware of the potentially hazardous properties of a pool. The outcome with a toddler falling into a pool undetected is almost certain. Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under five in Florida, Arizona, and California with a ranking of number two for over a dozen other states. For every drowning there are eleven near drowning incidents, according to government statistics; many of which result in totally disabling brain damage.

A study conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to find out how child drowning incidents occur indicates that SUPERVISION CAN AND DOES FAIL.

The results might help you to better understand why drowning is still the number one killer for three states and stands at number two for the nation:

77 percent of the children who drowned had been seen 5 minutes or less before being missed and subsequently discovered in the pool.

Where were they last seen?

•46 percent WERE LAST SEEN IN THE HOUSE prior to being found in the pool. Of these, 15 percent were thought to be sleeping.
•23 percent were last seen in the yard, porch or patio, not in the pool area. That’s a total of 69 percent that were thought not to be in the pool area.
•31 percent were last seen in the pool or pool area.

Who was in charge of supervision at the time of drowning?

•69 percent of the accidents occurred while one or both parents were responsible for supervision.
•10 percent were adults other than the parents.
•14 percent were sitters.
•7 percent siblings.

What was the location of the pool drowning?

•65 percent were in a pool owned by the child’s family.
•22 percent at a relatives
•11 percent happened at a neighbor’s.

Drowning happens quickly and without warning. There is no cry for help.

To prevent drowning incidents see http://www.poolfence.com/pool-safety-guide/.

Source: http://www.poolfence.com/pool-safety-guide/