Safety information to avoid drowning
Prevention of drowning
There is a risk of drowning when people work beside or above water or have to pass near or cross it on their way to or from their workplace. People can also drown in other liquids such as sludge in lagoons, food in open vats in food processing plants, and chemical solutions in factories. If people have to work on or near water, there must be a safe work system and they must be properly trained. Equally important is the provision of the proper equipment and proper emergency procedures, along with the information and training necessary to use the equipment and respond effectively in an emergency. The most immediate danger after falling into the water is drowning. Causes or contributing factors include: shock from sudden immersion in cold water; weight of water-soaked clothing; disability after injury caused by striking an object while falling or while in water; fatigue or hypothermia where rescue is not immediate.
To avoid a fall into the water, put up barriers to prevent people from falling into the water or other liquid. In most cases, guardrails and skirting boards or a similar barrier will be needed at the open edges to ensure that people do not fall. In factories, farms, and some other places, it may be possible to cover the surface of the container or drain it. A safe work system also includes other considerations, for example diverting or reducing flow rates in canals where possible by closing gates and arranging for employee training and supervision, etc. Give the alarm. When working on or near water, there must be a means to raise the alarm if someone has fallen into the water.
It may be advisable to provide whistles and lights to help locate people in the water. Stay afloat, provide life jackets to people at risk. Ideally, life jackets should inflate automatically and should always be worn. They are designed to support an unconscious person in the water and turn them on their backs. It is essential that anyone who needs to wear a life jacket is trained in its use. Buoyancy aids are intended to provide a conscious person with enough additional buoyancy to stay afloat and achieve a reasonably good floating position, but cannot flip an unconscious person from a prone position.
Grab and throw lines
A grab rope can be stretched along the river downstream from the job site to act as a safety feature. This line should be taut across the river so that it runs at 45 degrees with respect to the flow, with the most downstream end toward the shore from where access can be made easier. This allows the swimmer to wash down to the downstream end when he reaches the line. Do not tension the line 90 degrees from the flow. A shooting line must not be tied to anything. For use in moving water, it should be 8-12mm in diameter for ease of handling, brightly colored, and able to float to avoid entanglement in the river bed. If the force is too much to bear, the rescuer should walk along the shore retrieving or releasing the line to avoid the possibility of the rescuer being swept into the river. A tied or hooked rope can have the effect of submerging the person in the water if the current is fast.
Rescue boats
A suitable rescue boat or boats with a competent operator may be necessary. This is particularly important when people can fall into the sea or flowing rivers. The boat should be designed so that it is easy to get a casualty out of the water into the boat. The type of rescue boat depends on the circumstances of the job and the type of water and currents. In fast water, it may take two people to carry out a rescue, one to maneuver the boat and the other to lift the casualty out of the water. To be effective, these precautions must be maintained. People need to know what to do in an emergency and how to raise the alarm. People are also at risk of drowning when they must travel by boat to get to their workplace, for example, for certain jobs on docks, rivers, dams and islands. Any vessel used to transport people by water to or from a workplace should: be of suitable construction; receive proper maintenance; be under the control of a competent person; and not be overcrowded or overloaded.