Every year over 8,000 drownings take place across the United States. Of those unintentional drownings, 3,960 were fatal, averaging 11 deaths a day.1
What is drowning?
Drowning is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion or immersion in liquid.
The results of drownings are typically:
- Fatal. Drowning results in death.
- Non-Fatal. A person survives a drowning incident with a range of outcomes ranging from no injuries to very serious injuries or permanent disability.
Organizations with water facilities such as pools, lakes or other activities have a duty to care for the safety of all swimmers and participants. The safety of all swimmers and participants should be independent of the size facility and provide a high
level of care. Water safety can be implemented in layers and can be applied in multiple ways, such as:
- Understand the risks associated with aquatic activities.
- Ensure lifeguards are certified and have the level of training needed to assist swimmers.
- Provide an adequate number of lifeguards for activities.
- Properly maintaining the pool and surrounding facilities.
- Educating swimmers about pool safety rules and emergency information.
- Identify swimmer skillsets and implement protections around unskilled or nonswimmers.
The following information provides important considerations for water facilities along with tools that your organization can utilize within an existing aquatic safety program.
1According to the Centers for Disease Control.