Media Release - 13 November 2006
Be both waterwise and safe
Toddlers and infants are at risk of drowning in some waterwise households, warns the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC). Research fellow Ms Carolyn Staines says youngsters could easily drown in bins and buckets as responsible people collect rainwater and store grey water. Ms Staines, whose PhD is investigating the history of Victorian experience of drowning and its prevention, says householders who are being savvy with water also need to be alert to the potential dangers.
“With the current water shortages and restrictions, people are collecting rainwater in rubbish bins and pouring grey water on the garden,” she said. “This means there is likely to be an increase in containers of water being stored around homes, such as on verandahs and in back or front yards.”
Ms Staines’ research draws on historical information from the records of inquests on drownings in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and has found worrying parallels to today’s situation.
“In earlier times of water shortage when people collected water in large containers, it sometimes ended tragically - with toddlers and infants being drowned,” she said. “They would be found head down in buckets and tubs, having toppled in and unable to right themselves.”
Ms Staines cited cases from 1883, an unusually dry year, which included the drownings of toddlers at Elsternwick, Deep Creek and Marong, all found in washing tubs of rain water.
MUARC, a world leader in the field of injury prevention, urges householders to restrict children’s access to containers of water.
“People should be cautious about where they put rain collecting containers, ensure that they are covered in ways that let water in but keep children out, and not place them in open front yards or paddocks into which passing children could wander,” Ms Staines said. “It is horrifying how quickly a child can drown.”
Media can interview Ms Carolyn Staines on (03) 9905 9669 or 0405 131 813, or Professor Joan Ozanne-Smith on (03) 9905 1810 or 0419 871 266. For further information, contact MUARC Senior Media Communications Officer Ms Allison Harding on (03) 9905 1255 or 0419 302 520.
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