Water safety
Keeping safe when winter strikes
Peter Cornall, Head of Leisure Safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), looks at the safety issues to consider in the colder weather
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Playing in the great outdoors is an important part of growing up. And it can be particularly fun at this time of year when even the plainest environment can be transformed into a winter wonderland.
When children spend time outside – getting muddy and getting wet, for example – they learn important lessons about what hurts, what is slippery, and what you can trip over or fall from. This is to be encouraged, because these lessons will stay with them for the rest of their lives. But alongside giving children the freedom to play outdoors, preventing the most serious accidents remains important.
RoSPA encourages parents to talk to their children about risks and how to cope with them, and, during the winter, this includes the dangers of icy water.
Ice safety
Be water wise
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Sadly, almost every time there is a big freeze, someone dies falling through ice on a lake, pond, reservoir or canal. In fact, more than 20 people have drowned after falling through ice into water during the last decade, and many others have had to be rescued and revived. Accident data reveals that those most at risk are young children – who are likely to be inquisitive and attracted to the natural ice-skating opportunities – and males of any age. We also know that more than half of these fatal accidents involved an attempted rescue of another person or dog. In many instances, the dog managed to scramble ashore unaided while the owner did not.
Avoiding ice accidents
Nobody wants winter fun to turn to tragedy, and we can all enjoy ourselves safely by following a few simple precautions: There is no way of knowing how thick the ice covering a lake or canal is, and RoSPA advises against even testing this with your toes. Although a frozen lake may look inviting to those wanting to skate, remember that as soon as you step on to the ice you are risking your life. If it gives way, your chances of survival in the freezing water are very small.
Because we know that many icerelated deaths have involved the attempted rescue of a dog, keep pets on leads near frozen water and avoid throwing sticks or balls onto the ice. Look out for information, including warning signs, about frozen waterways in your area.
 RoSPA encourages parents to talk to their children about risks during the winter and this includes the dangers of icy water |
If someone falls in
Although the key message is to keep off frozen water, people do get into difficulties, either falling through the ice or becoming stranded on ice islands. Knowing what to do in an emergency can help to prevent tragedies in which rescuers tragically lose their lives:
- Call for assistance from the emergency services.
- Do not attempt to go out onto the ice yourself.
- Instruct the casualty to keep still to maintain heat and energy.
- Try to find something that will extend your reach, such as a rope, pole, branch or item of clothing and throw it or use it to reach out to the casualty. Then, making sure you are stable on the bank (by lying down or getting someone to hold onto you) attempt to pull the person to the shore.
- If you cannot find something with which to perform a reach or throw rescue, try to find something that will float to throw or push out to them. This will help to keep the casualty afloat until assistance arrives.
- During the rescue, keep off the ice, continue to reassure the casualty and keep them talking until help arrives.
- If the rescue is successful, the casualty will need to be kept warm and treated for shock. All casualties should be taken to hospital even if they appear to be unaffected by their ordeal.
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RoSPA’s ice safety factsheet, which includes
advice for site operators and managers, is
available at: Website: www.rospa.com/waterandleisuresafety/factsheets/icesafety.htm |
