Ensure your child's safety around the swimming pool for the start of summer
AMA (NSW) has joined the NSW Ombudsman, Royal Life Saving NSW and Kidsafe NSW in a push to urge parents with swimming pools in their family home to check that the pool gates and fences are functioning properly.
The recently released 2010 Annual Report from the NSW Child Death Review Team shows that almost half of all child deaths from drowning last year tragically occurred in the family pool.
The report found that these children were able to access the pool unsupervised due to faulty pool gates or fences and in all these cases, the gate latch mechanism had failed.
Bruce Barbour, NSW Ombudsman and Convenor of the Child Death Review Team said, “As we can see from this report, the potential consequences of a faulty mechanism can be devastating but are also highly preventable.
"I cannot stress enough how important it is to regularly and frequently check that these safety mechanisms are functioning properly."
Kidsafe NSW advises that current Australian Standards require all pool gates to have a self-closing mechanism, which allows the gate to return automatically to a closed position without manual force. A manual release is also required to open the gate.
AMA (NSW) Councillor Associate Professor Brian Owler said, “While we've had an unusually wet start to summer, children will soon be flocking to pools, both public and private, to have fun and get out of the heat.
"However, parents need to be aware that while they think they have taken the correct precautionary measures to keep their children safe around the family pool, the safety mechanisms themselves could be faulty."
A/Prof Owler said, "Parents need to do regular maintenance checks of the gate latch mechanisms and remain vigilant in the supervision of their children around the family pool. In addition, the pool gate should never be propped open nor should anything climbable be placed near the pool fence for children to access."
The Royal Life Saving Society's Keep Watch campaign highlights four key actions parents and carers should take to ensure water safety for children in varied situations:
- Supervise – ensure your child is under your constant supervision while in, on or near water.
- Restrict access – where possible, place a barrier between your child and the water. In the case of your backyard pool, this means the correct safety fence which completely isolates the pool and has a gate with a self-closing and manual release mechanism.
- Water awareness – enrol your child in a water familiarisation and safety class, offered by Royal Life Saving. You can also contact your local pool for more information on swimming lessons.
- Resuscitate – know what to do in an emergency. It is important to know basic resuscitation techniques and call 000 for an ambulance as soon as possible.
"Taking these key actions are crucial to ensure the water safety of your children and could mean the difference between life and death,” A/Prof Owler said. “You only need a few minutes to go down the list and check that you are taking the right precautions, including checking the function of your pool gate latch.
"Any child death is just awful, however the NSW Child Death Review Team 2010 Annual Report shows that many of these deaths – and not just those in the family pool – are in fact preventable," A/Prof Owler said.
"It is therefore important to get the message out that we must do everything we can to minimise the risks for our children around the family home and avoid potentially life-threatening situations where possible."
Media contacts: Elyse Cain (02) 9902 8138 / 0419 402 955
Lachlan Jones (02) 9902 8113 / 0419 402 955
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