Water Safety
Stretches of coastline, bonnie lochs and fastflowing rivers make our local landscape beautiful but also treacherous. World Drowning Prevention Day is held on July 25 every year, and while it’s a year-round risk, this day allows us to focus on raising awareness of the dangers of the water. This global event serves as an opportunity to highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and offer life-saving solutions to prevent it.
The World Health Organisation puts forward the idea that anyone can drown, but no one should. This year they’re focus on raising awareness in the six evidence-based, low-cost drowning prevention interventions that countries and organisations can use to drastically reduce the risk of drowning. These include:
- Train bystanders in safe rescue and resuscitation
- Set and enforce safe boating , shipping and ferry regulations
- Improve flood risk management locally and nationally
- Install barriers, controlling access to water
- Provide safe places away from water for pre-school children, with capable child care
- Teach school-age children basic swimming, water safety and safe rescue skills
On average 50 people accidentally drown in Scotland each year- per head of population that is double the rate average of the rest of the UK. This worrying number is due to the differing characteristics of Scotland such as its increased opportunity for access to water due to its geography, with more than 30,000 freshwater lochs and a huge coastline. Additionally, the Scottish education system does not mandate water safety education or swimming lessons unlike England and Wales.
So in 2018, Water Safety Scotland launched Scotland’s own Drowning Prevention Strategy which adequately reflects these characteristics and aims to reduce accidental drowning deaths in Scotland by 50% by 2026. Alongside these aims and strategy, the organisation’s key piece of advice is to read, understand and follow the Water Safety Code which represents the key information needed to help keep people safe around the water.
So with the hot weather hopefully returning soon be sure to think carefully about water safety and ensure you have taken the necessary preparations and precautions to stay safe.
For more information on Scotland’s drowning prevention strategy and advice on water safety please visit Water Safety Scotland.