Consumer Product Safety Commission Pool & Spa Drowning and Entrapment Report

Consumer Product Safety Commission Pool & Spa Drowning and Entrapment Report -- Good News Many Fronts

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a valued National Drowning Prevention Alliance partner, released its 2018 report, Pool or Spa Submersion: Estimated Nonfatal Drowning Injuries and Reported Drownings, along with an updated report on suction entrapment incidents in swimming pools, spas and whirlpool bathtubs. This year's report shows that the number of reported fatal child drownings in swimming pools and spas involving children younger than five-the most vulnerable population-have not significantly increased from last year's report. On average, there were 351 reported fatal child drownings in pools and spas in 2015 involving children younger than 15, compared to 346 reported fatal child drownings in pools and spas in 2014 involving children younger than 15.

Other key findings in the government report include:

• Annually, 73 percent of the hospital emergency room-treated nonfatal drowning injuries from 2015 through 2017 involved children younger than five.
• Male children younger than 15 had twice as many fatal drownings as female children of the same age.
• From 2015 through 2017, an estimated average of 6,400 children younger than 15 years old were reportedly treated in hospital emergency rooms for nonfatal drowning injuries in pools or spas.
• Between 2015 and 2017, residential locations made up 74 percent of reported fatal drowning incidents, and at least 45 percent of reported nonfatal drowning incidents for children younger than 15.
• In addition, residential locations dominated reported incidents involving victims younger than five, with 54 percent of nonfatal drowning injuries among that age group from 2015 through 2017-and 85 percent for fatal drownings from 2013 through 2015-all occurring at a residence.
• The majority of the estimated hospital emergency room-treated, nonfatal drowning injuries for 2015 through 2017, and the reported fatal drownings for 2013 through 2015, were associated with pools (versus spas).

Today, CPSC also released an updated report on suction entrapment incidents in swimming pools, spas and whirlpool bathtubs. Key findings include:

• Since the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act went into effect in December 2008, there have been no reported fatalities involving a child being entrapped on a suction outlet cover in a public pool or spa.

"Despite this news, we must do more to prevent drowning tragedies," says Melissa Sutton, President of the NDPA. "Drowning continues to be the leading cause of unintentional death in children under five and special attention needs to be directed to residential poos and aps where incidents are happening far too often."

You can read the full report on CPSC.gov