New water safety plan launched following spate of tragic deaths last summer
The Scottish Government says it'll include school safety lessons and better signs around open water after seven people drowned in just one week last July.
Last updated 25th Mar 2022
Pupils will be given water safety lessons and signs around lochs and reservoirs will be improved as part of plans to reduce the risk of people drowning.
The new Water Safety Action Plan has been drawn up by the Scottish Government and a range of key organisations following a spate of water deaths last summer.
Seven people drowned in the space of a week in July 2021, including four children aged nine, 11, 13 and 16.
As part of the plan, new water safety promotions will be targeted at areas judged to be at a higher risk for drowning, and signs will be improved at popular locations including lochs and reservoirs.
Lesson plans on water safety have been developed for school pupils and there will be continued development of the national Learn to Swim framework delivered with local authorities.
Community Safety Minister, Ash Regan, who chaired the water safety stakeholder group, said: "The Scottish Government takes water safety very seriously and this Action Plan includes a range of key steps agreed with our partners to further mitigate the risks from Scotland's coastal and inland waters.
"Scotland's beaches, rivers, reservoirs and lochs are amongst our finest natural resources, but beautiful as they are they can be a source of lethal danger and we continue to see the tragic consequences of that.
"The actions in the plan are targeted at creating a safer environment in Scotland. But whether it's sailing, swimming, diving or fishing, anyone undertaking recreational activities in and around water must be fully aware of the risks and take every possible precaution."
Other actions in the plan include training for businesses and the public on how to use rescue equipment, a review of 999 procedures, and risk assessments for beaches.
Meanwhile, Scotland's Water Safety Code will be developed to ensure public messages on key issues including hidden hazards and cold water shock are delivered in a consistent way.
The Scottish Government has also announced additional funding of Ă‚ÂŁ60,000 for Water Safety Scotland to develop its co-ordination role for all organisations with an interest in water safety.
Michael Avril, chairman of Water Safety Scotland, said: "We would like to thank the minister for taking a proactive approach to the prevention of drownings in Scotland.
"The release of this action plan, created in partnership with member organisations, complements Scotland's Drowning Prevention Strategy.
"Today, we have published the Interim Review of the strategy and we are hopeful this, combined with the Action Plan and increased collaboration from partners, will help Scotland meet its key targets to reduce accidental drowning fatalities by 50% by 2026 and contribute to reduction of water-related suicide."
The interim review showed that the number of water-related fatalities is decreasing in Scotland.
Scotland's Drowning Prevention Strategy had an initial average baseline of 96 fatalities (2013-2015), which has decreased over a period of five years (2016-2020) to an average of 92.
Members of the action plan group include Crown Estate Scotland, Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, Police Scotland, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, HM Coastguard, RNLI and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.