DROWNING ALERT

Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 years of age. The highest drowning rates occur from birth to 4 years of age. Most infant drownings happen in the bathtub. Most toddler drownings occur in home swimming pools but, cleaning buckets and bathtubs are other common sites. Over half of the drowning deaths of males between 15 and 34 years of age are associated with alcohol use. These occur primarily in rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Follow these guidelines to help prevent drowning accidents:

Never leave a baby alone near water or in the bathtub even for a moment. Drowning can happen in seconds. If bathing a baby and the telephone or doorbell rings, wrap the baby in a towel and carry the baby with you.
Constantly watch small children when they are near a body of water such as a swimming pool, lake, or river. Never allow kids of any age to swim alone. Use supervisors who know CPR.
Teach children to swim.
Empty wading pools. Drain wash water from basins and sinks. Keep the lid down on the toilet. Never leave water standing where your toddler can get to it.
Be aware of small bodies of water that might attract your child's attention, such as fishponds, construction sites, ditches, fountains, rain barrels, watering cans, post holes or buckets.
Enforce pool safety rules: no running near the pool and no pushing others underwater. Keep a safety ring and rope at the poolside. A poolside telephone is ideal, and an alarm bell is helpful.
Do not allow children who cannot swim to use inflatable toys or mattresses to keep afloat. They may suddenly deflate or a child may slip off into water that is too deep.
Be sure home swimming pools are completely surrounded by a tall fence that has a self-locking gate.
Do not allow young children to use spas and hot tubs. Young children can easily drown or become overheated in them.
Make sure children always wear a life preserver when swimming in deep water or riding in a boat.
Caution even good swimmers to swim with a buddy.
Older teens and adults should not drink alcohol when swimming or boating. It is dangerous for them, for those they are supervising, and for others.
Never use a pool with a cover on, children can be trapped underneath. Pool covers can fill with water and become as dangerous as the pool itself.
Do not depend on pool covers or alarms, every pool should have a self-locking fence at least 4 ft in height.

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

HIL File PREV4315.rf2 VRS# 7726 Data Version 7.0