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Wednesday 28th September, 2005

NEW FLUORO WATER WATCHER ARMBANDS HIGHLIGHT SUPERVISON AS THE KEY TO REDUCING DROWNINGS IN CHILDREN AGED 5 YEARS OR LESS

“Each year in Australia approximately 40 children aged 5 years or less drown. Within NSW an average of 12 drownings occur annually with a further 90 children hospitalised for near drowning. Of these near drownings 5-20 per cent of children will suffer some form of brain damage ranging from mild to severe”, said NSW Minister for Health, John Hatzistergos.

Children aged less than five years of age have the highest drowning mortality rate of any age group. (ABS, 2000; Peden, McGee 2003). January 1995 – April 2001 – 82 children aged 5 years or less drowned in NSW (34 of these were in swimming pools). Seventy-five per cent of these cases occurred without adult supervision present. (NSW Water Safety Task Force, 2002).

Supervision is paramount in preventing these deaths in this vulnerable group. Many children have a near drowning experience at a pool party in their own home or at a friend’s house when everyone thinks that someone else is supervising the children, but in fact not any one person is dedicated solely to that job.

“The Children’s Hospital at Westmead is highlighting the life-saving responsibility that adult supervision plays by launching a new fluoro armband called a Water Watcher,” said Prof Kim Oates, CEO, at The Hospital. The arm band is designed for use during outdoor gatherings to ensure that at least one adult present is watching children at all times. Adults at the gathering should take turns being ‘on duty’, so that everyone has the opportunity to participate in social activities. The arm band easily identifies the person watching the children, but by no means absolves others from responsibility.”

Medical care is not able to provide drowning victims with much help; therefore their survival relies on the prevention of drownings. It has been suggested that 80 per cent of all drownings can be prevented (World Congress on Drowning 2002).

Prevention strategies include:

1. Never leave a child without adult supervision in or around water.

Children must be supervised at all times whilst in the water and never left alone – adult supervision means 100 per cent concentration on your child – not the odd glance while doing something else.
Do not rely on siblings or older children to supervise young children in and around water.
Nominate an adult (in 15 minute intervals) to supervise the children. When wearing the fluoro arm band that person should not leave the pool area or divert their attention from the children in the pool. The fluoro armband makes it clear to everyone who is currently the “Water Watcher”.

2. Ensure your pool is fenced and that the fence and gate are in good working order, compliant with Australian Standard 1926.

Having a safety fence around your pool that completely isolates the pool and complies with the Australian Standard 1926 (AS:1926). Standard fences are 1.2m high with a self-closing/self latching child resistant gate. The vertical parts must be no more than 100mm apart and the horizontal parts at least 900mm apart. The fence should not obscure the view of the pool and must be resistant to climbing.
Gates need to be maintained to ensure they close properly. They should never be propped open (eg with a chair or pot plant).
Nothing should be placed near the fence that a child could use or move to climb the fence e.g. garden furniture, large pot plants and BBQs.

3. Learn Infant and Child cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and display a CPR sign in the pool area

4. Familiarise your children with water and teach them to swim, but do not assume that they are then not likely to drown. Swimming lessons and flotation devices are no substitute for adult supervision.

Remember, it only takes a few minutes for a child to drown. Your child could drown quickly and silently – you won’t know until it’s too late. This and every summer, protect your family from the preventable catastrophe of drowning. Keep watch of your child – supervision is the key.

The Fluoro Water Watcher Bands are available from Kids Health, at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead on (02) 9845 3589 or via our website on www.chw.edu.au/parents/kidshealth or email kidsh@chw.edu.au. They are free of charge to residents of NSW. For residents of other States only postage charges will apply.

Please get a Water Watcher Band and remember to supervise your children around water at all times.

Media contact: Debra Fowler, Public Relations, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
Ph (02) 9845 3584, or via switchboard Ph (02) 9845 0000.