Water Safety

Key points to remember about water safety

• drowning is a leading cause of death from injury in young people
• babies mostly drown in buckets and baths
• pre-schoolers mostly drown in home swimming pools and unfenced water hazards nearby homes
• teens mostly drown in natural bodies of water, such as rivers and the sea

Never leave young children unsupervised near water

• always keep within arm's reach of your child when they are in and around water
• never leave children, especially those under 5 years of age, unsupervised near water, including baths, buckets, ponds, streams and water troughs
• be aware of unfenced landscape water features, storm water catchment ponds and urban streams near homes
• all children under the age of 3 years should be constantly supervised in the bath by an adult - if you need to leave the room, take your child with you
• bath aids, bath seats or young siblings are not a replacement for adult supervision
• never leave an unwell child unsupervised in the bath

Use pool fencing that completely surrounds your pool and check pool fences and gates regularly

• use pool fencing that completely surrounds your pool and separates it from the house - spa pools are safest securely fenced
• check the safety and security of your fences regularly
• check your pool gates open outward away from the pool, swing shut and automatically latch, every time
• check pool fences for gaps to crawl under, or for loose bars or planks
• never prop open a pool gate or have anything nearby that might block the gate latch (such as clothes or towels)
• make sure to remove any chairs or toys that children might use to climb over a pool fence
• if fences are modified or houses and gardens redesigned, always check the pool fence still functions to keep children safe
• be especially careful with children if you are visiting someone with a pool - if you are in a group, always make sure it is clear who has the job of watching the children; otherwise everyone may assume someone else is watching them