Safety MattersOur blog discussing workplace safety opportunities in Nova Scotia and around the world.https://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblogSummer Water Safetyhttps://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/64/summer-water-safetyGeneralMon, 22 Jul 2013 13:48:34 GMT<span style="line-height: 1.6;">Last year in Nova Scotia 17 people died from preventable water-related&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">deaths and according to the&nbsp;<a href="http://worksafeforlife.ca/LinkClick.aspx?link=http%3a%2f%2fwww.lifesavingsociety.com%2fwho%25E2%2580%2599s-drowning.aspx&amp;tabid=327&amp;mid=934" target="blank" re_target="_top">Lifesaving Society</a>, the vast majority of these&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">drowning victims were men. In fact, overall, men accounted for 83 per cent of Canada&rsquo;s&nbsp;water-related deaths during 2006-2010:</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><br /> </span><br /> <blockquote style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"> <p style="text-align: left;">Year after year, 8 out of 10 drowning victims are male. The&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.6;">skew to male victims is evident across all age groups, but most pronounced&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">among 18-34-year-olds where 9 of every 10 victims are male.</span></p> </blockquote><span style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5; color: #136fa9;"><strong><br /> Why did they drown?</strong></span><br /> <ul> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;">Drowning as a result of boating: 79 per cent of victims were not wearing a&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">PFD/lifejacket&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;">Drowning as a result of swimming: 34 of victims were unable&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">to swim; while 32 per cent of victims died as a result of mixing alcohol consumption&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">and swimming</span></li> </ul> <p>In young male victims (ages 18-34), preventable drowning&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.6;">deaths were as result of not wearing a PFD (83 per cent of relevant situations) and alcohol&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">consumption.&nbsp;</span></p> <p>These staggering statistics underlie the importance of PFD&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.6;">use in recreational and occupational use when on the water. And just like&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">drinking and driving, drinking alcohol while boating or participating in other&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">water activities has deadly results.</span></p> <p><strong>Summer is short in Nova Scotia &ndash; Remember to enjoy it safely.</strong></p> <h2>Tips to Reduce the Risk of Drowning</h2> <ul> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Learn to swim.</strong>&nbsp;Formal swimming lessons can reduce therisk of drowning.&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">Closely watch swimmers in or around the water. Designate a&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">responsible adult who can swim and knows CPR to watch swimmers in or around&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">water &ndash; even when lifeguards are present.&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).</strong>&nbsp;In the time&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">it might take for lifeguards or paramedics to arrive, your CPR skills could&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">save someone's life.</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Fence it off</strong>.&nbsp;Barriers to pool access should be used to&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">help prevent young children from gaining access to the pool area without&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">caregivers' awareness when they aren't supposed to be swimming. Pool fences&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">should completely separate the house and play area from the pool, be at least 4&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">feet high, and have self-closing and self-latching gates that open outward,&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">with latches that are out of the reach of children.</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Use the Buddy System.</strong>&nbsp;Regardless of your age, always&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">swim with a buddy.</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Look for lifeguards.</strong>&nbsp;Select swimming sites that have&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">lifeguards whenever possible.</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Heed warning flags.</strong>&nbsp;Know the meaning of and obey&nbsp;the&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">warnings they represent, which may vary from beach to beach. Not sure what they&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">mean? Ask!</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Know the terrain.</strong>&nbsp;Be aware of and avoid drop-offs and&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">hidden obstacles in natural water sites. Always enter water feet first.</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Avoid rip currents</strong>.&nbsp;Watch for dangerous waves and signs&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">of rip currents, like water that is discolored and choppy, foamy, or filled&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">with debris and moving in a channel away from shore.&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Use approved life jackets.</strong>&nbsp;Don't use air-filled or&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">foam toys, like "water wings", "noodles", or inner-tubes, in&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">place of life jackets. These toys are not designed to keep swimmers safe.</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Avoid alcohol.</strong>&nbsp;Avoid drinking alcohol before or during&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">swimming, boating, or water skiing. Don't drink alcohol while supervising&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">children.</span></li> <li><span style="line-height: 1.6;"><strong>Don't hyperventilate.</strong>&nbsp;Swimmers should never&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">hyperventilate before swimming underwater or try to hold their breath for long&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">periods of time. This can cause them to pass out (sometimes called&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">"shallow water blackout") and drown.</span></li> </ul> <p>(From the <a href="http://worksafeforlife.ca/LinkClick.aspx?link=http%3a%2f%2fwww.cdc.gov%2ffeatures%2fdrowningprevention%2f&amp;tabid=327&amp;mid=934" target="blank" re_target="_top">Center for Disease Control</a>).</p> &nbsp;<br /> <br /> &nbsp;64