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Splash Into Safety This Summer

4 Simple "Water Safety Wisdoms"

Drowning is the second leading injury-related killer of kids ages 1 to 14, but these tragedies can be prevented if parents practice four "Water Safety Wisdoms" highlighted by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.

Recent research by SAFE KIDS and Johnson & Johnson, examining 2000 and 2001 data from Child Death Review teams in 17 states, found that 88 percent of children who drowned were actually under the supervision of another person, usually a family member. Supervision was defined as being in the care of another individual, not necessarily in their direct line of sight.

While better quality supervision is critical, the study also found that many adults were not properly fencing pools, requiring use of personal flotation devices (PFDs) or teaching their children how to swim.

"We want kids to be active and enjoy swimming, but we want them to do it safely," says U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona, who joins SAFE KIDS in this important safety effort. "Drowning is a silent killer that can strike even older, more experienced child swimmers. The SAFE KIDS Water Safety Wisdoms will help keep children of all ages safe in the water this summer."

4 to Follow
As the summer season starts and children are more likely to be in and around water, SAFE KIDS urges parents to follow these 4 Water Safety Wisdoms:

  • Supervision: SAFE KIDS recommends adults take turns serving as the designated "water watcher," whose sole responsibility is to actively supervise children in or near the water (and not allow themselves to be distracted by common practices such as eating, reading, talking to others, talking on cell phones or napping). Active supervision means that the adult can always see and hear the child and stays close enough to intervene in an emergency.
  • Environment: Improve safety around residential pools and spas with installation and proper use of four-sided isolation fencing, which could prevent an estimated 50 to 90 percent of residential pool drownings. Isolation fencing means the fence completely separates the pool area from the house and the rest of the property, so a child cannot walk directly out a back door to the pool.
  • Gear: Use properly fitting life vests in and around water, especially when boating, riding in personal watercraft and participating in water sports, to prevent an estimated 85 percent of boat-related drownings.
  • Education: Enroll children in swimming lessons with a certified instructor by the age of 8. Nearly three-quarters of drowning victims researched did not know how to swim.

"Childhood drownings are not inevitable; they are preventable," says Dr. Martin Eichelberger, director of Emergency Trauma Services at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and CEO of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. "These four Water Safety Wisdoms are critically important to the safety equation that will keep kids out of harm's way."

Don’t Be a Statistic
The SAFE KIDS report, Clear Danger: A National Study of Childhood Drowning and Related Attitudes and Behaviors, supported by Johnson & Johnson, included nationally representative surveys of parents (of children 14 and under) and children ages 8 through 12 and revealed many startling statistics that contributed to the development of the 4 Wisdoms, such as the following:

  • More than half (55 percent) of parents say there are some circumstances where it is acceptable for a child to swim unsupervised.
  • Nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of pool- or spa-owning parents do not have isolation fencing around their pools or spas, and 43 percent have no self-closing and self-latching gate.
  • Many tweens (kids ages 8 to 12) admit they never wear a life jacket when riding on a personal watercraft (50 percent), participating in water sports (37 percent) or on a boat (16 percent).
  • Although the majority of parents agree that all children should have swimming instruction by the age of 8, 37 percent of parents of children ages 5 to 14 report that their child has never taken lessons.

Learn More


To learn more about water safety and to obtain a copy of a SAFE KIDS/Johnson & Johnson Water Safety Checklist, visit www.safekids.org.

The National SAFE KIDS Campaign is the first and only national nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury, the No. 1 killer of children ages 14 and under. More than 300 state and local SAFE KIDS coalitions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico comprise the campaign.

CPSC Warns about Pool Hazards

With many people readying their pools for the summer, now is the time to redouble efforts to prevent drowning deaths, says the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Many of the swimming pool deaths occur in summer months.

Close supervision of young children is vital for families with a home pool – and not just when outside using the pool. A common scenario is that young children leave the house without a parent or caregiver realizing it. Children are drawn to water, not knowing the terrible danger pools can pose. Also, just because children know how to swim doesn't mean they are safe. All children should be supervised every second while in and around the pool.

The CPSC offers these additional tips to prevent drowning:

  • Fences and walls should be at least 4 feet high and installed completely around the pool. Fence gates should be self-closing and self-latching. The latch should be out of a small child's reach.
  • Keep furniture that could be used for climbing into the pool area away from fences.
  • If your house forms one side of the barrier to the pool, doors leading from the house to the pool should be protected with alarms that produce a sound when a door is unexpectedly opened.
  • A power safety cover – a motor-powered barrier that can be placed over the water area – can be used when the pool is not in use.
  • Keep rescue equipment by the pool, and be sure a phone is poolside with emergency numbers posted. Knowing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be a lifesaver.
  • Don't leave pool toys and floats in the pool or pool area that may attract young children to the water.
  • For above-ground pools, steps and ladders to the pool should be secured and locked or removed when the pool is not in use.
  • If a child is missing, always look in the pool first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.
  • Pool alarms can be used as an added precaution. Look for alarms that meet the requirements of the ASTM standard. The commission advises that consumers use remote alarm receivers so the alarm can be heard inside the house or in other places away from the pool area.
  • To prevent body entrapment and hair entrapment/entanglement, have a qualified pool professional inspect the drain suction fittings and covers on your pool and spa to be sure that they are the proper size, properly attached and meet current safety standards. If your pool or spa has a single drain outlet, consider installing a safety vacuum release system that breaks the vacuum to avoid potential entrapment conditions.

Additionally, CPSC offers three free publications consumers can use to help prevent child drowning: Safety Barrier Guidelines for Pools (PDF), How to Plan for the Unexpected (PDF) and Guidelines for Entrapment Hazards: Making Pools and Spas Safer (PDF). Copies of these publications can be obtained at www.cpsc.gov, by calling (800) 638-2772 or by writing to "Pool Safety," U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C., 20207.

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