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Shallow Water Blackout Deaths Continue
Dr. Tom Griffiths ::::
I first started writing about the dangers of Shallow Water Blackout (SWB) in 1983 in the book Sport SCUBA Diving, In Depth. In the mid 1990’s I began to publish articles specifically instructing lifeguards and facility managers to stop dangerous breath-holding, underwater swimming and hypoxic training. In 2008, I even produced a half hour video called Shallow Water Blackout with the financial help from insurance companies and other concerned contributors. But after nearly 30 years of focusing my efforts on shallow water blackout prevention, I have failed miserably. Shallow Water Blackout deaths continue at an alarming rate to young, athletic and highly motivated individuals. For example, in March of 2011, a husband and father of three young children killed himself in a YMCA pool in Maine while practicing hypoxic training. Then on April 17, 2011, Whitner Milner, age 25, drown in his backyard residential pool while practicing breath-holding drills for free diving. In May of 2011, a husband and father of two daughters died of Shallow Water Blackout while spear fishing off the beach. On Wednesday, July 13, 2011, two young men succumbed to shallow water blackout simultaneously in the shallow end of a public swimming pool in Staten Island, NY swimming pool while doing underwater training drills. Both hoped and trained for military careers. But these shallow water blackout deaths were obvious because the victims had been observed holding their breathe repeatedly for long periods of time. Far too many shallow water deaths get swept under the rug and go under reported because for the most part, Coroners never heard of shallow water blackout and simply list “drowning” on the death certificate. It’s extremely to quantify exactly how many SWB are occurring when Coroners routinely cite “drowning” as the cause of death when good swimmer die suddenly.
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New Pool Safety Signage System
Tom Griffiths, Founder, Aquatic Safety Research Group, and consultant with DJS Associates, Inc., will present “A New Era in Pool Safety Signage” at the 2011 National Drowning Prevention Symposium, Antlers Hilton, Colorado Springs, CO. The presentation shares a new pool safety signage system developed by Clarion Safety Systems that uses symbols, color, language and repetition to effectively communicate the four most important pool safety messages.
[Full Article (http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=255404 type=newswires)]
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Key-less ignitions linked to three carbon monoxide-related deaths
Keyless ignition systems are an increasingly popular automotive feature. First seen on high end luxury vehicles, these systems are now appearing as optional, and in some cases standard, equipment on many mid-level vehicles, as well. Despite the keyless moniker, engine start up still requires the operator to bring the portable portion of the security system - typically a key fob - to the vehicle to allow the engine to start. Once started, however, the key fob does not typically need to remain with the vehicle for continued engine operation. As the following article indicates, this could prove dangerous. To discuss in more detail, contact R. Scott King, BSME at experts@forensicDJS.com (mailto:experts@forensicDJS.com).
[Full Article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1358075/Convenience-kills-keyless-ignitions-linked-carbon-monoxide-related-deaths.html#ixzz1EK9MKniA)]
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The Importance of Clear, Concise and Conspicuous Signage
Tom J. Griffiths, ED.D. ::::
When accidents occur at swimming pools, water parks and beaches, there are usually two vital areas of omission from which lawsuits are born:
The failure to supervise, and/or
The failure to warn.
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To Slow Speeders, Philadelphia Tries Make-Believe
The first time Larry Morris spotted the white, blue and orange
triangles that seemed to rise up from Blue Grass Road in his Northeast
Philadelphia neighborhood, he was unsure just what they were.
“It
kind of surprised me,” said Mr. Morris, a retired machine shop welder,
“but I slowed down when I went over it, and everyone behind me did too.”
That is exactly what the City of Philadelphia and federal safety officials hope they will do.
[Read Full Article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/us/12bump.html?_r=1)]
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