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SWIMMING POOL IMMERSION ACCIDENTS AN ANALYSIS FROM THE BRISBANE DROWNING STUDY
Author(s) -
Pearn John H.,
Nixon James
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1977.tb130794.x
Subject(s) - poison control , fence (mathematics) , injury prevention , environmental science , geography , forensic engineering , medicine , environmental health , engineering , structural engineering
An analysis of a consecutive series of 66 swimming pool immersion accidents is presented; 74% of these occurred in in‐ground swimming pools. The estimated accident rate per pool is five times greater for in‐ground pools compared with above‐ground pools, where pools are inadequately fenced. Backyard swimming pools account for 74% of pool accidents. Motel and caravan park pools account for 9% of childhood immersion accidents, but the survival rate (17%) is very low. Fifty per cent of pool accidents occur in the family's own backyard pool, and 13 6% in a neighbour's pool; in the latter the survival rate is still low at only 33%. In only one of the 66 cases was there an adequate safety fence; in 76% of cases there was no fence or barrier whatsoever. Tables of swimming pool accidents by age, season, site and outcome are presented.