Over the past five years, a total of 3 000 deaths caused by drowning were recorded in the country, according to the Medical Research Council of South Africa.
On their website, Netcare 911 Operations Director, Peter Feurstein said approximately 75 per cent of all drownings in South Africa each year occur among young children under the age of five years. This is backed by a special report published by the World Health Organisation indicating that children under five years have the highest drowning mortality rate worldwide.
For this reason, safety precautions should be taken.
“Children and adults should be aware of the steps necessary when swimming. Many people will be in the water – be it at the beach or pool.” said Fairland resident and swimming coach Natalie van Wyk.
Below are some important water and swimming pool safety tips offered to residents by Van Wyk:
- When near the water, watch children with constant, undivided attention;
- Do not become distracted with things such as text messaging, talking on the phone or yard work;
- Have a designated pool watcher keep an eye on swimmers at all times;
- Do not leave anything nearby that a child could use to climb over the fence;
- Remove steps to above ground pools when not in use;
- Learn to swim and enrol children in swimming lessons starting as early as six-months-old;
- Learn CPR and keep emergency phone numbers posted in the pool area;
- Watching your children is just as important when everyone is indoors. Children are curious, creative and innovative. They can quickly figure out how to get outside and water can pique their interest;
- For this reason it is important to have several layers of protection between children and the pool.
“Safety devices that are available include a mesh barrier fence, self-closing and self-latching gate, alarms for doors, windows and for detection in and around the pool, personal immersion alarms, certified safety covers, life rings and shepherd’s hooks,” Van Wyk advised.
“While a backyard swimming pool is an obvious place to be practising water safety, don’t forget that bathtubs, lakes or ponds, inflatable kiddies pools and the beach are also dangerous,” she concluded.
