2010-09-02 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Why the Swimming Pool Guidelines Were Developed Each year, hundreds of young chi l- • Most of the victims were being super- Swimming pool drownings of young dren die and thousands come close vised by one or both parents when the children have another particularly insidi- to death due to submersion in resi- swimming pool accident occurred. ous feature: these are silent deaths. It is dential swimming pools. CPSC has esti- unlikely that splashing or screaming will mated that each year about 300 children Nearly half of the child victims were occur to alert a parent or caregiver that a under 5 years old drown in swimming last seen in the house before the pool child is in trouble. pools.The Commission estimates hospital accident occurred. In addition, 23 percent CPSC staff have reviewed a great emergency room treatment is required for of the accident victims were last seen on deal of data on drownings and child more than 2,000 children under 5 years of the porch or patio,or in the yard. behavior,as well as information on pool age who were submerged in residential and pool barrier construction.The staff pools. • This means that fully 69 percent of the concluded that the best way to reduce CPSC did an extensive study of children who became victims in swim- child drownings in residential pools was swimming pool accidents, both fatal ming pool accidents were not expected to for pool owners to construct and maintain drownings and near-fatal submersions, in be in or at the pool, but were found barriers that would prevent young chil- California,Arizona and Florida,states in drowned or submerged in the water. dren from gaining access to pools. which home swimming pools are very However,there are no substitutes for dili- popular and in use during much of the 65 percent of the accidents occurred in gent supervision. year.The findings from that study led a pool owned by the victim's immediate Commission staff to develop the guide- family, and 33 percent of the accidents lines in this handbook. occurred in pools owned by relatives or friends. OIn California,Arizona and Florida, drowning was the leading cause of acci- Fewer than 2 percent of the pool acci- dental death in and around the home for dents were a result of children trespassing children under the age of 5 years. on property where they didn't live or belong. • 75 percent of the children involved in swimming pool submersion or drowning 77 percent of the swimming pool acci- accidents were between 1 and 3 years old. dent victims had been missing for five minutes or less when they were found in • Boys between I and 3 years old were the pool drowned or submerged. the most likely victims of fatal drownings The speed with which swimming pool and near-fatal submersions in residential drownings and submersions can occur is a swimming pools. special concern: by the time a child's absence is noted,the child may have drowned.Anyone who has cared for a toddler knows how fast young children can move.Toddlers are inquisitive and impulsive and lack a realistic sense of danger.These behaviors, coupled with a child's ability to move quickly and unpre- dictably make swimming pools particular- ly hazardous for households with young children. • 1