WIREDGOV

The report, which uses data from the NWSF’s Water Incident Database (WAID), reveals that, as in previous years, the highest number of fatalities - 217 (52 per cent) - happened in inland waters such as rivers, canals, lakes, lochs, reservoirs and ponds. Nearly a quarter of fatalities - 94 (22 per cent) - happened at the coast or in a harbour, dock, marina or port, while an additional 73 deaths (17 per cent) happened out at sea. Twenty-four fatalities were the result of incidents in baths (including jacuzzis or hot-tubs), six in swimming pools and six in areas that are not usually watercourses, such as flooded areas.

Children and young people aged 0-19 accounted for 57 of the deaths, of whom 19 were under 10 years old.

Of the 420 fatalities, 58 involved someone who had been walking or running and then entered the water, perhaps to cool off in warm weather or because they fell in, and 31 involved someone who had been swimming at the time of the incident. Thirty-three cases involved someone who had been in a manually-powered boat, 31 involved commercial water activities and 30 involved angling. Twenty of the deaths were related to sub aqua diving.

Although fatalities were spread across every day of the week and every month of the year, Saturday was the most common day and April and June the most common months for fatalities to occur.

WAID was developed by the NWSF to enable greater detail and volume in the collection of data on fatal and non-fatal drowning, other water-related deaths and injuries, and near misses. It collects incident data from a wide range of sources including the emergency services, sports governing bodies, coastguard, rescue services, coroners’ courts and press reports. “UK water-related fatalities 2010” is the second report to be produced by WAID, and it follows the inaugural report covering 2009, which was published last year. 

Mike Barrett, technical services manager for the NWSF, said: “WAID is a relatively new tool and the process to collect data is still being extended and improved. For this reason, it’s difficult to make comparisons between the data for 2010 and that for 2009, although it is interesting to note that there has been little variation in where water-related fatalities occur, with inland waters still accounting for the greatest number of deaths.”

Peter Cornall, head of leisure safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and a member of the NWSF, said: “Water safety messages are traditionally issued to coincide with certain types of weather, typically very cold spells, when waterways freeze over, and also when there are very warm spells, which are often associated with peaks in accidental drownings, as in 2010. However, the spread of fatal incidents throughout the year really highlights how important it is for all those involved in water safety to press on with prevention no matter what the season.”

WAID was developed by NWSF members, including: national partners - British Waterways, British Sub Aqua Club, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, RoSPA and Royal Life Saving Society; sports governing bodies; and regional and local organisations, including Cornwall Council. It has been developed in partnership with the Department for Transport.

The purpose of the database is to provide a comprehensive and reliable evidence-base for risks to the public from water-related activities which can be used to inform decisions on risk acceptability, prevention and the appropriateness of risk controls and regulation. The 2010 figures and the development of WAID will be discussed at the National Water Safety Seminar in Birmingham on April 26.

See www.nationalwatersafety.org.uk for more information and the report.