Inland Water Safety : FAQs
A: Even when the air temperature is high on hot summer days, the water temperature in the UK will remain low and the water will feel very cold, even if the surface water feels warm, within a metre it will be cold. Sudden immersion in cold water causes shock and affects co-ordination. Even a strong swimmer can find that they are not able to move properly. Shock can also cause heart attack. Never dive into open water, there could be an obstruction beneath the surface that you cannot see, a difficult under-current or vegetation to become entangled in.
A: You should only decide to install public rescue equipment after you have conducted a risk assessment. Rescue equipment should play only a minor role in a water safety strategy, with greater emphasis on prevention. However once you have decided to install lifebuoys it should be:
- Clearly positioned and in colours of red or yellow
- At a maximum height of 1.7m above the ground
- Regularly inspected and replaced where necessary
Placing and spacing will depend on the identified risk, look for the places where people congregate or where people are likely to fall in. Generally spacing of equipment at 100 metres is acceptable under normal conditions, so that a potential rescuer is not more than 50 metres from the equipment.
A: Around 5 million people in the UK are at risk of flooding. The Environment Agency has comprehensive information on flooding, this includes how to find out if your home is at risk of flooding, what you can do in the event of flooding and a real-time flood warning system. This can be found from the Environment Agency website. If you live in Scotland, The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is responsible for issuing flood warnings. Information from SEPA can be found on their website.
A: Notices and signs must comply with the Safety Signs Regulations Health and Safety Regulations 1996 and BS 5378:Part 1 1980. Safety Signs and Colours and have to conform to BS 5499-6:2002 Design of Graphical Symbols for use in Safety Signs Requirements. Avoid the temptation to 'customise' signs as uniformity in the way safety information is conveyed helps avoid confusion. In addition, some well known water safety signs and symbols have gone through the BSi standardisation process and have formed the basis of BS 5499-11:2002 Part 11 Water Safety Signs. ( PDF 151 kb) Sign manufacturers should be aware of these standards and be able to supply signs that conform to them.
A: The standard BS 5499-11: 2002 was published on 20/07/02 and the Forum recommends that any new signage should conform to this standard in the future and that a regular review of existing signage is carried out. Those sign that are in need of repair or have poor legibility/clarity of image should be replaced straight away and all others should be subject to programmed replacement. It is not unreasonable to expect that all signs should comply within a five-year period. (Although a future court ruling could modify this estimate). Any reputable sign manufacturer should be aware of the relevant safety standards for water signs and should be able to make up signs to the relevant specifications.
You can post questions to the advisory group using the online enquiry form.
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