WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2008-12-14 Time: 09:00:10 Posted By: Jan
This festive season thousands of people will flock to South Africa’s beaches and others will make the most of their swimming pools – but they better keep safety in mind.
Safety authorities have already issued warnings to the public to take the necessary precautions to prevent the festivities turning into yet another drowning tragedy.
A Consumer Product Safety Commission report has shown that most children drown in residential swimming pools, and adults in natural waters.
The report said children between the ages of one and four were most at risk of drowning and adult supervision often isn’t enough to prevent it. While drowning rates have slowly declined, drowning remains the second-leading cause of injury-related death for children.
The report said there are a vast number of products and devices that aim to keep a pool safe.
There are fences designed with self-closing, self-locking gates, and rigid covers that slide over the pool like horizontal garage doors. There are several electronic alarms of various designs. One is worn on a child’s wrist like a watch and sounds upon contact with water, others sound an alarm when movement in pool water is detected.
“Nothing is foolproof when it comes to protecting children from drowning in a pool,” said Mark Ross, a spokesman for the commission.
“That’s why we recommend that pool owners provide layers of protection.”
But the majority of child drownings occur when children get into the pool on their own.
The commission found that “most young children who had drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at home at the time”.
In their book, Freakonomics, American authors Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt claim it is actually safer to have a gun in your home than it is to have a swimming pool because pools cause more deaths in homes than guns do.
According to the Medical Research Council of South Africa, over the past five years, 3 000 deaths by drowning were recorded in the country.
Childsafe, the country’s largest advocacy group for child accident prevention that is running a safety campaign, warned that 60% of all drownings occur among children aged between one and four, 70% of all pool drownings occur in fully fenced pools, and 90% of drownings occur while a child is under supervision. Most drowning events are totally silent.
A Childsafe spokesperson said it was relatively easy and inexpensive to make your pool safer, but this was only achieved by adding multiple layers of safety to make it almost impossible for children to reach or enter a pool, jacuzzi or spa without an adult knowing.
“You should never rely on only one barrier to safeguard your child.”
Craig Lambinon, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesman said the organisation was urging the public to take their safety seriously in and around water, on the coast and inland. They urged people living along the coast and holidaymakers visiting the coast to find out and store the numbers of the nearest NSRI in their phones.
The institute advised beach-goers to:
The NSRI said rip-currents are the highest cause of drownings in South Africa. Don’t swim against the current, it will only cause exhaustion. And don’t panic. Tread water by moving your arms and legs in circular movements to stay afloat. Scream for help so people on the shore can alert the lifeguards or call the NSRI.
At your first opportunity swim across the beach-line (parallel to the beach) until you are free of the rip-current and then use the incoming waves to swim to shore.
The organisation also warned against swimming while intoxicated. Don’t drink alcohol and swim – many drownings appear to be as a result of alcohol consumption and bathing. Hydrate regularly, wear a hat, and use sunscreen.
NSRI sea rescue emergency phone numbers can be obtained during office hours on 021 434 4011.
Other national all emergency numbers are 112 Emergency (from a cellphone) and 10177 (from your cell-phone and from a landline).