Latest Water Safety Research

Girl with Kick Board

A project funded by RoSPA, and reported in RoSPA's 'Safety Education' Summer 2010 edition, has come up with an interesting conclusion relating to traditional life-saving advice. Instead of immediately attempting to swim or wave for help, researchers at the University of Portsmouth are advocating 'float first'.

Apparently tests have shown that staying as still as possible in the first few minutes after tumbling into water (a major cause of drowning fatality in the UK) increases survival time by enabling air trapped in clothing to keep the head above water and slowing the rate at which the body cools.

This clearly places massive demand and expectation on a less than water confident child in a hostile life threatening environment so appropriate training and rehearsal seems to be critical to its success.

 

Further Information

For further information please vist the afPE website.  Alternatively please visit our Safe Practice in PESS pages.

In association with

Northumberland Sport