Providing quality life guarding services at water recreational facilities are effective in preventing drowning, some decision makers may elect not to hire many lifeguards. In that Case, Facility operator should be considering environmental modifications to the facility can still improve safety for Guests. Such as barriers, No swimming area, divided swimming area, divided boating area, posting correct sign and regulation boards, also educating the guest is very important. The cost of a single catastrophic injury or death while using an aquatic facility can be substantial. Experts have described the costs of unintentional death through two measures. The economic costs framework measures the victim’s productivity loss and the expenses related to the event. Comprehensive costs include the economic loss, as well as the value of lost quality of life associated with the death or injury. Although water-related injuries and drowning already result in tremendous costs, they would be substantially higher without lifeguards. One way of describing these costs are to estimate that one percent of the total rescues made by lifeguards would have resulted in a drowning death in the absence of lifeguards. If really facility operator needs to reduce the number of drowning then they have to deploy real lifeguard service. Decision to provide lifeguard protection can be influenced by civil liability laws too.
(Which may hold the owners of aquatic areas and the lifeguards they employ responsible for fatal and nonfatal injuries?)
One aspect of liability involves malfeasance. In most Countries, lifeguards, like other safety providers, are expected to act within a standard of care set by their training, local protocols, and past court rulings. A variation from the standard of care may result in liability. Another aspect of liability involves the condition of the facility and the quality of warning or protection provided. Laws which encourage placement of lifeguards, although more expensive, can logically be expected to enhance Guest safety.
Let turn now to Decision Maker’s Guide to Lifeguard Protection:
The decision to protect the public (If use Beach in front of the hotel or nearby Beach, Note: Unauthorized Fishermen and public swimmer can use the beaches ) and Guest use in an aquatic facility, either by providing lifeguards or using another preventive strategy such as signage, requires careful assessment of the alternatives available to the facility or jurisdiction.
1) Use any relevant data available on the facility or jurisdiction. Data may include if not have to discover:
• The number of Hotel Guest intend using the facility or beach area during the days (+ Guest in villas, Rooms, out side guest)
• The Number of Beach goers or other activities can happen front of the water way
• The incidence of water-related injuries and drowning at the nearby facility or beach during past times;
• The number of water-related injuries and drowning at pools and beaches at your local area or (countries) with and without lifeguards, (for comparison)
• The level of lifeguards provided (e.g., number of lifeguards per number of persons using the facility).
(2) If lifeguards are already provided, then ask the questions:
• How have lifeguards affected patrons’ safety and attitudes?
• Which Qualification is Lifeguards should be holding (Beach Lifeguard Qualification etc…?)
• Is the drowning rate increasing, decreasing, or has it remained unchanged? In the area (Research)
• Find the Type of Hazard at beach (And note down effective action plan to reduce or control the Hazard)
1. Physical Hazard
2. People Hazard
3. Activity Hazard
4. Lifeguards Hazard
5. Weather
6. Water-(The effects of tidal currents in the Ocean as well as movement of water in and out of canals and flow of currents can be extremely swift because water leaving the nearby bridges river at high flowing rate because between the bridges edge are very narrow ( than a large canal). Check the Ariel view of nearby area what method can adopts for stop this swift water (few bunts toward to the canal water, also its aim includes stopping soil erosion too.) also there is present of sediment at this area can highly hazard for swimmers especially for children).
Sub type:
1. Natural
2. Man Made
3. Land
4. Water
5. Tide
6. Waves
7. Current
(3) Rescue Boat and jet key-Rescue craft should be daily deploying in the water. (With licensed rescue craft operators). Boat and jets key will be help in swift water rescue at water canals and specially it will be helping reaching casualty in the open water more safely and quickly.
(4) Considering to Assess proposed alternatives (e.g., hiring lifeguards, placing warning signs, modifying the aquatic environment or restricting access to the facility and preventing direct entrance to water front by barriers, by Security guards Note: attention should be specially for private residential Villas area all the direct entrance to canal water or open water should be Guarded or avoided ).
When making choices about drowning prevention interventions in water front facilities, decision makers must balance a sincere desire to protect the public and guest.
In this report, writer has attempted to provide useful information that can be applied when making the decisions regarding Aquatic safety Operation. Remember always most effective drowning prevention intervention is to provide trained, professional lifeguards at the area (where lifeguards present should needs). Lifeguards can conduct patron surveillance and supervision at aquatic facilities and beach areas they will avoid unintentional death (Drowning)
By Palitha Ariyarathna
Rescuer and Deep Sea Diver- Former Beach Filed Supervisor