ODPM BR417 Building regulation, Health and Safety – Drowning Chapter

Abstract

25.1 The nature of the hazard Unintentional drowning and near drowning are major causes of morbidity and mortality both nationally and globally. Unintentional drowning and near drowning can occur in as little as 5cm of water anywhere from a small pool of water to rivers and oceans. Drowning and near drowning episodes are a sequence of multifaceted, complex events that vary and are widely based on age, gender, geographical region, community, season, race, economic status and location of occurrence. Unintentional drowning and near drowning occurs within the built environment in a number of structures such as buckets, baths, garden ponds, wading pools, swimming pools, spas and hot tubs. Infants are most likely to drown in the home (usually in a bathtub); toddlers in bodies of water close to the home such as swimming pools or garden ponds; and older children and adults in natural bodies of open water (inland or coastal)