A speaker from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents will be among those taking to the podium at the World Conference on Drowning Prevention next week.
The conference, being held in Vietnam from May 10-13, aims to focus world attention on the global burden of drowning and how it can be reduced. The World Health Organisation estimates that there are 388,000 drowning deaths worldwide each year. In the UK, drowning is among the leading causes of accidental death; in 2009, 405 people died from accidents or natural causes in water across the country.
On Wednesday (May 11, 2011), David Walker, RoSPA’s policy operations manager, will address an international audience about the challenges and successes of the National Water Safety Forum, which brings together different organisations, government and communities to work together on water safety in the UK.
He said: “Attending the World Conference on Drowning Prevention provides a fantastic opportunity to outline to an international audience the successes we have had in the UK and also to learn about what is happening to reduce drowning deaths around the world.
“Globally, nearly 400,000 people die from drowning each year, the vast majority in developing countries. Conferences like this play an important role in sharing news of what works in drowning prevention and helps focus action on further reducing the burden of drowning.”
Also speaking at the conference will be Dr Martin Barwood, of the University of Portsmouth’s department of sport and exercise science. He will present a paper on BNFL/RoSPA-funded research into how chances of survival can be maximised following immersion in water. The study, entitled Float First: An Assessment of the Buoyancy Provided by Seasonal Clothing Assemblies Before and After Swimming, found that – counterintuitively – floating and staying still for a couple of minutes after immersion helped people to become accustomed to the cold and retained buoyancy in their clothes.
Visit www.worldconferenceondrowningprevention.org for more information on the conference.
Visit www.nationalwatersafety.org.uk for more information about the National Water Safety Forum.
