Heading to the Water this Summer? Intermountain Health Gives Water Safety Tips

The weather is warm and the water is beckoning, and Intermountain Health safety experts say it's crucial to keep kids safe around water, whether it's at the pool, lake, or even the bathtub to prevent accidental drowning.

Drowning is the second leading cause of preventable injury death for children under age 14, Utah Department of Health & Human Services show. Additionally:

• 70% of drowning deaths occur between May and August.
• 34% of drownings take place in lakes, rivers, canals, and other bodies of water.
• 28% happen in pools.
• 20% occur in bathtubs.

“In most cases, child drownings occur when adults are present and were not paying attention at that moment when the tragedy happens,” said Ashley Castaneda, community health coordinator at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “The best prevention is attention. Never leave children alone in water, even for a second. Also remember to have a life jacket, especially in Utah lakes and other open bodies of water.”

Intermountain Children’s Health offers the following water safety tips:

• Wear a coast-guard approved life jacket at lakes and reservoirs, even if you can swim. Cold lake water can bring on dangerous cramps, shock, hypothermia, and difficulty breathing. Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital donated over 1,000 Coast Guard-approved life jackets to Life Jacket Loaner Stations in the Utah state parks. They’re available on a first-come, first-served basis at many lakes, recreation centers, and reservoirs.
• Appoint a "water watcher.” Ensure someone is always supervising children without distraction. Take 15-minute shifts and use a visual cue like a lanyard or hat to identify the watcher.
• Never leave a child unattended in a bathtub, even for a second.
• Drain kiddie pools and bucket sand turn them upside down when not in use.
• Teach the whole family to swim.
• Use Coast Guard-approved life jackets instead of water wings.
• Enclose pools and hot tubs with self-closing and locking gates.
• Teach children to stay away from water while hiking or camping.
• Check nearby water first if a child is missing.
• Call 911 if a child falls into rushing water; do not jump in after them.
• Learn CPR.

For more safety tips, go to Intermountainhealth.org/childsafety.