WASHINGTON — Ohio is one of the deadliest states for pool and spa drownings involving children, according to a new federal government study released Wednesday.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says Ohio experienced 14 media-reported drowning deaths of kids 15 or younger in 2019. Only Texas (34), Florida (23), and California (19) had more.
The data was compiled by the USA Swimming Federation, and found that at least 221 such children drowned in pools or spas across America last year. While that is a 14% decrease from 2018, the commission says drowning remains the No. 1 cause of unintentional death among kids ages 1-4.
The agency's "Pool Safely" campaign (#PoolSafely365) is encouraging young ones and their families to follow these simple steps to avoid a tragic accident:
- Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch your children closely around all bodies of water
- Designate a Water Watcher to supervise children in the pool or spa; this person should not be reading, using a smart phone or be otherwise distracted
- Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim
- Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults
- Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments
- Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal safety standards, and if you do not know, ask your pool service provider about safe drain covers and ask your public pool if their drains are "VGB compliant" (Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act).
In addition, you can join 90,000 others in signing the "Pool Safely Pledge" here.
