Beach & Water Safety

Posted: Saturday, July 20, 2019
By: Gillespie Electric, Inc.
Categories: Electrical Safety

While drowning deaths peak among one and two year olds, drownings continue to be the second leading cause of preventable death through age 15.

• 74% of drowning incidents for children younger than 15 between 2015 and 2017 occurred in residential locations.
• Boys younger than 15 die from drowning at twice the rate as girls.
• 351 children younger than 15 died in pools and spas in 2015.
• Emergency departments treat about 6,400 pool and spa injuries in children younger than 15 every year.

BEACH SAFETY: If someone’s visit to the shore includes swimming in the ocean, they should learn how to swim in the surf and only swim at a lifeguarded beach, within the designated swimming area.

• Have young children and inexperienced swimmers wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
• Protect the neck – don’t dive headfirst. Walk carefully into open waters.
• Keep a close eye and constant attention on children and adults while at the beach. Wave action can cause someone to lose their footing, even in shallow water.
• Watch out for aquatic life. Water plants and animals may be dangerous.

WATER SAFETY: Obey all instructions and orders from lifeguards. 

• Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that are prevalent along the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the U.S., as well as along the shores of the Great Lakes.
• Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer.
• Panicked swimmers often try to counter a rip current by swimming straight back to shore—putting themselves at risk of drowning because of fatigue. If caught in a rip current, don't fight it! Swim parallel to the shore and swim back to land at an angle.
• Lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents in the U.S. every year, but it is estimated that 100 people are killed by rip currents annually.