Report No. 005-12

TO: Chair and Members of the Board of Health
FROM: Graham L. Pollett, MD, FRCPC, Medical Officer of Health
DATE: 2012 January 19

Drowning Prevention Update

Recommendation

It is recommended that the City of London and municipalities of Middlesex County be petitioned to amend their pool fencing bylaws to bring them in line with the recommendations of the Chief Coroner of Ontario Report entitled, Drowning Review: A Review of All Accidental Drowning Deaths in Ontario from May 1 to September 30, 2010.

Background

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for young Canadians. Drowning is the second leading cause of injury related death to Canadian children ages 1- 4 years.  An estimated 58 children age 14 years and under drown each year in Canada, while another 140 are hospitalized for near drowning.

Since previous reports to the Board of Health (Report 018-09 February 2009, Report 037-09 March 2009, and Report 145-09 November 2009) a new provincial report has been released from the Office of the Chief Coroner forOntario.  In the summer of 2010, there was a lot of media coverage indicating a large number of drowning deaths in Ontario. In response, the province’s Chief Coroner initiated a review to determine the causes of drowning and to develop recommendations for the prevention of these drowning deaths.

Chief Coroner of Ontario Report

The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario released the report entitled, Drowning Review: A Review of All Accidental Drowning Deaths in Ontario From May 1 to September 30, 2010. The complete report can be found at the following link.

www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/DeathInvestigations/office_coroner/PublicationsandReports/Drowning/OCC_report_drowning.html.   

The Report indicates that the total number of drowning deaths in 2010 was similar to previous years even though there was a perception of an increase. However, the deaths of children less than 5 years of age which were highly publicized, did experience a dramatic rise compared to previous years. Thirteen children aged 1- 4 years drowned in the summer of 2010 in Ontario.  This was an increase of 260 % over previous years. The review mentioned that several of these children’s deaths could have been prevented had a four-sided fence been in place.

Some other highlights of the Drowning Review (The Executive Summary is attached as Appendix A) include:

• Drowning is largely a male-related phenomenon, 76 of the 89 (85%) deaths were male
• 71 of the 89 (80 %) of the deaths occurred in persons aged less than 5 and between 15-64 years of age and
• Drowning occurs in those owning or utilizing private pools (21%) and those using lakes/ponds (57%) for their aquatic setting.

The top two recommendations of the Report found in the Consolidated List of Recommendations attached as Appendix B are:

1.       All municipalities in the Province of Ontario should pass pool enclosure municipal bylaws that mandate barrier safety requirements for new pools including in ground, above ground, portable, inflatable and hydro-message pools, hot tubs, spas as well as decorative ponds such that when they are installed;

§     They are surrounded by 4-sided fencing, that completely encloses the pool area;

§     The pool enclosure bylaw applies to all structures with a water depth of at least 0.6m(2 feet);

§     They allow entry and exit through a self closing and self latching gate only;

§     The 4-sided fencing be a minimum height of 1.22m (4 feet);

§     The bylaw specifies that fence construction should inhibit climbing; and

§     The home should never open into a pool area.

2.       All municipalities in the Province of Ontario should pass pool enclosure municipal bylaws that mandate retrofitting for existing pools as defined by 2015 to the standards as in recommendation #1. 

Local Drowning Prevention Initiatives

Health Unit staff and the local chapter of the Pool and Hot Tub Council of Canada have been working in partnership over the last two years to provide public education on residential pool safety. In 2010, a brochure was developed entitled Protect Your Family by the Pool. City of London staff members were also involved in this project. The pamphlet was disseminated throughout Middlesex County and the City of London, including to municipal offices.   More recently in 2011, a community wide radio campaign was initiated. The radio advertisement which conveyed a concise drowning prevention message was played on several radio stations throughoutLondon and Middlesex County. During the radio campaign’s duration, transit shelter posters were also posted at five shelters throughout major intersections within the City of London.   

Future Considerations

The prevention of unintentional childhood injuries in London and Middlesex County can best be prevented with strategies that combine enforcement, engineering and education. In an effort to prevent drowning deaths, the recommendations from the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario need to be reviewed with special consideration for the number one recommendation which includes four-sided fencing for all pools.  

This report was prepared by Ms. Berthe Streef, PHN; and Ms. Mary Lou Albanese, Manager, Healthy Communities and Injury Prevention Team.

Graham L. Pollett, MD, FRCPC
Medical Officer of Health

This report addresses the following requirement(s) of the Ontario Public Health Standards:  Injury Prevention including Substance Abuse Prevention: Requirements and standards: (6) To eliminate drowning prevention in waters used for specific recreational purpose.