The KFV (Board of Trustees for Road Safety ) appeals to parents and supervisors to never let their children out of their sight in and around the water and to secure pools with suitable covers or fences.
On hot summer days, pools or paddling pools provide a refreshing way to cool off. However, bathing can quickly become a deadly danger, especially for small children: Drowning is the second most common cause of accidental death among children in Austria, and drowning accidents occurred in a pool again this year.
“Especially when there is water in the home, the drowning child is often noticed too late. Such tragic accidents show us that children should never be left unattended in or around the pool. In addition, safety precautions should also be taken, such as installing fences, alarm systems or pool covers.”
Dr. Johanna Trauner-Karner, head of the sports and leisure safety department at KFV
Small children in particular are at great risk because they go into a reflexive state of shock in dangerous situations in the water and are therefore unable to draw attention to themselves. Two minutes, about the time it takes to make a short phone call, is enough for a child to lose consciousness in the water. After just five minutes, lack of oxygen can lead to death.
These typical everyday situations illustrate how minimal the time window is in which the worst can be avoided in the case of swimming accidents. Due to several drowning accidents this year, the KFV warns against unsafe waters and appeals to parents and guardians to take certain safety precautions.
The most important KFV expert tips and tools to prevent drowning accidents:
- Attention protects the child's life! Children should always be supervised and within reach in and near water - even if they can already swim!
- Secondary drowning in children: If water enters the child's lungs in a swimming accident, parents should closely monitor their children after the incident. About 24 hours after a water accident, what is known as “secondary drowning” can lead to life-threatening breathing problems.
- Child-safe pool covers: Pools can be made child-safe using special covers. However, you should definitely choose the right system! Not every cover is sturdy enough to support the child's weight.
- Fencing: A fence with a self-closing door that is insurmountable for small children is one of the safest ways to prevent accidents. Attention should be paid to robust and weatherproof material. Be careful with mesh fences: this SAFETY FIRST! entice children to climb! For smaller water areas, grid constructions under the water surface have proven successful.
- Alarm systems: Although alarm systems or motion detectors cannot prevent falls into the water, in this case they sound a loud signal that allows you to react quickly. Alarm systems therefore represent an additional aid for structural security. However, they do not replace the duty of supervision!
- Safe together at the pool: Small children should always be supervised in or near the pool within their immediate reach and within sight, and older children should be supervised. If there are several people on site, one person should be specifically responsible for supervising the children so that nothing stands in the way of a fun bathing experience.
Source: KFV
This might also be of interest: Facebook phishing: The kidnapped child in [insert any location here]
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