It's the height of summer, the sun is shining, school is out and life is good. We all love making the most of summer, especially here in the UK, but that doesn't mean letting the heat go to your head! In terms of health and safety, the summer months (especially during the school holidays) are always a tough time for the emergency services. There's just something about the euphoria and freedom of the season, combined with unusually warm weather, that tends to make people neglect common sense, and forget health and safety. 

One of the biggest dangers to the public, vulnerable children and strong swimmers alike, is water. Whether it's an inland waterway, the beach, or even a public swimming pool, each of these spaces present their own unique hazards. To protect the public, it is essential that holidaymakers, day trippers, and even those just looking for a way to cool off, are reminded of the dangers posed by water,  whether it's the open ocean or a pleasure pool.

Here are a few of the water safety signs we stock at Label Source, along with their corresponding hazards:

No Swimming 

For some reason, the combination of heat and too much free time always drives people to swim in places they shouldn't. This is highly dangerous to even the most confident of swimmers, and is especially lethal to more vulnerable individuals, such as children and the elderly. Whether it's the threat of strong currents, thermal sock from exposure to cold water, or even the risk of illness from polluted water, certain areas should be made completely off-bounds to the public, as they are far too hazardous and unpredictable to guarantee a safe swimming experience. 

Do Not Run

Whether it's a poolside walkway or lakeside deck, water presents just as much of a hazard for those of us on dry land, as it does to those actually in the water! Anyone who's ever seen a lifeguard furiously whistling at a group of unruly children legging it to the pool, knows that the risks of slipping are ever-present around damp areas, and are even magnified if the flooring is shinny or covered in alge! To combat this, and reduce the chances of someone falling and injuring themselves, there should always be clear messages to warn individuals against rapid movements in slippery areas.

No Inflatables 

Some spaces just aren't suitable for certain types of aquatic equipment, and if this is the case, signs should be displayed to prevent members of the public from mistakenly taking them into the water. Inflatables, for example, can present a unique set of hazards in both open and enclosed bodies of water. If used in the sea, with the risk of wind and strong tidal changes, swimmers can soon be carried out to open water, where even experienced divers can come unstuck. In relation to small pools, the water may simply be too shallow to accommodate them, leading to accidents if people trip or fall from them. Their use could even cause the crowding and obscuring of water in small areas, which could make it difficult to spot an individual in distress. 

Lifejacket Warning Sign

Watersports are always popular during warmer months, and while enjoyable, they also present a plethora of health and safety hazards that must be addressed. From hitting rocks, to falling in open water, there are many risks to an individual's safety when taking part in water-based activities. This is why participants and activity providers should always be reminded of how important it is to be equipped with a lifejacket, which can act as an invaluable lifeline when things go wrong in unpredictable situations, which can go from fun to fatal in a matter of minutes. 

Don't forget to stay water-safe this season! Browse our full range of water safety signs here.

Signs are an important part of any health and safety initiative, and one police officer has been demonstrating just how much difference a few safety signs can make with an inspirational safety campaign in Cambridgeshire.

Photograph from www.huntspost.co.uk

Sergeant Mike Jackman was one of the first officers on the scene when a 15-year-old boy named Rony John drowned in the River Great Ouse in July 2014. Sgt Jackman's first-hand experience of this tragedy prompted him to come up with a means of making Cambridgeshire's waterways safer, particularly for young people - when accidents do happen around large bodies of water, children and teenagers are the most common victims.

One year on from the drowning incident that claimed Rony John's young life, Mike Jackman has unveiled a new safety sign scheme of his own devising that makes it easy for people to get help in the event of an accident. The usual water safety signs are in place, of course...

...but Sgt Jackman has also added some signs of his own. These signs are positioned underneath the standard safety signs, and each one provides instructions on what to do in an emergency. For example:

In an emergency, dial 999 and say you are at site K

The thinking behind this system is quite simple: if a young person is drowning in a river or another large body of water, their friends are frequently unable to accurately identify their location to the 999 operator. Mike Jackman's signs make it easy for youngsters to specify exactly where they are when phoning for help, allowing emergency services to get there quicker and save the person or people in danger.

Every second counts in an emergency situation, and we think that Sergeant Jackman's signage system is quite ingenious. With summer now upon us, the temperature is high throughout the UK, and more and more people will be tempted to use rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and other large bodies of water to cool off. It is at this time of year that water safety is most crucial, so please obey safety signs at all times and, if you are responsible for public health and safety, consider going above and beyond with your signage system like the Cambridgeshire Police have!

Visit our Water Safety Signs page to browse and buy our comprehensive range of signs and notices for potentially hazardous bodies of water.

As springtime approaches, the longer daylight hours and milder weather are likely to encourage an increase in recreational sports and activities on and around inland waterways. Many will dust down their clothing and equipment, which has been stored for the winter, and with much enthusiasm and vigour will embark on activities such as angling, climbing, walking or running, cycling, rowing, canoeing or kayaking, swimming, sailing, water skiing, wind surfing and sub-aqua.

However, there are risks and hazards associated with such pursuits, and these can be escalated if combined with an intake of alcohol, which can lower inhibitions, and temporarily inflate belief in ability or prowess.  Over a quarter of deaths from drowning occur in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, old quarry workings or canals, as reported in the latest WAid statistics for 2011.

Besides these fatalities, there are risks of a wide range of injuries from following the pursuits outlined above. These can include sprains or strains, fractures, crush injuries, lacerations and cuts from slides, slips, trips, tumbles and falls on damp banks, uneven surfaces on towpaths, or from rocky outcrops. Hyperthermia can result from immersion in deep, low temperature water, or from strong currents. Other injuries can be from poisoning or chemical burns from polluted water, collisions with underwater obstacles, entanglement in underwater vegetation, difficulties caused by breakdown of or ill maintained equipment, inadequate training or supervision, or from ill-health.

Matters can be made worst when some of these waterways are in remote locations, or locations with limited accessibility, and where signals for mobile phone are poor or non-existent, increasing the dangers by delaying the response time from emergency services.

To assist in providing a safe water experience, Label Source supply a range of health and safety signs to ISO 20712-1: 2008 Water signs and beach safety, as well as our general ranges of hazard warning signs and general prohibition signs, which warn the general public and workforce of water related dangers.