THE Government last night pledged to examine a series of safety recommendations drawn up by a coroner after an inquest into the death of an eight-year-old boy who drowned in a public swimming pool.
Weak swimmer Kaimen Ward died after getting into difficulty at the council-owned Hambleton Leisure Centre in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, last August.
If the recommendations of coroner Michael Oakley are adopted into national swimming safety guidelines, leisure centres could face further costs because of a requirement to increase lifeguard numbers.
The inquest jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure on Kaimen, from Northallerton.
It had earlier heard how the youngster was being supervised by a group of teenagers who leisure centre staff suspected had been drinking alcohol.
Mr Oakley also said two of the teenagers looking after him had been lax and irresponsible.
His recommendations included: Banning anyone suspected of drinking alcohol from public pools.
Reviewing the numbers of lifeguards – including the possibility of increasing the ratio to one lifeguard per ten swimmers.
Ensuring changeover work between swimming sessions takes place when the pool is empty, so staff can spend more time on lifeguard duties.
Installing blinds on windows to prevent glare from the sun.
Fitting sensors to detect people in difficulty in the water.
Meanwhile, council officials last night refuted the accusation that "penny-pinching"
contributed to Kaimen's death.
Following the three-day inquest into his death, Kaimen’s uncle, David Raper, said Hambleton District Council, which runs the leisure centre, should have had more lifeguards on duty that day, which was during the summer holidays.
Mr Raper said: “The council were lacking in the amount of people that were at the poolside.
“I take my kids to the baths in Darlington and I cannot count on my hands how many people are walking round looking down at the pool.
“Kids do run around and, unfortunately, penny-pinching has caused the death of a little lad.”
The inquest heard that an investigation by the Health and Safety executive found that the leisure centre was being operated within leisure industry guidelines.
However, Coroner Michael Oakley yesterday made recommendations about the number of lifeguards on duty after a jury returned a verdict of misadventure on Kaimen’s death.
He said: “It is clear to me from the evidence that whilst the pool was being run entirely within the current guidelines, sometimes it takes a tragedy like this for people to look again at procedures and His recommendations also included barring anyone thought to be under the influence of alcohol.
The inquest heard that the teenagers who had taken Kaimen swimming were told off by poolside staff, who suspected they had been drinking – a claim they denied.
Councillor Peter Wilkinson, the council’s cabinet member for leisure, last night refuted accusations of penny-pinching.
He said: “This was a tragic accident; a young boy lost his life in our pool.
“What exactly happened in the run-up to Kaimen’s death, we will never know, but I am confident the staff and management at the centre did everything right on that day.
“The centre complies with all the current national guidelines – from the number of lifeguards on duty to the policy on the age of children allowed into the pool unsupervised – and we are pleased the coroner accepted that.
“It also has strict policies and procedures of its own and these were all complied with.
“An independent review was conducted immediately after the incident by an industry expert, as well as by the Health and Safety Executive, and both concluded that it is a professionally-run centre comfortably complying with all regulations.
“However, the coroner wants to raise the bar nationally on health and safety in swimming pools.
“We have listened carefully to what he has had to say. We will consider his recommendations in detail and respond as appropriate as soon as possible.
Our thoughts remain with the family of Kaimen – his mother, father and twin sister, Hope Ella.”
Coun Wilkinson said no disciplinary action had been taken against any members of council staff after the tragedy.
Following the conclusion of the hearing, a statement was read on behalf of Kaimen’s mother, Caroline Ward, and her family.
She thanked North Yorkshire Police and the jury for their efforts, but declined to comment further.
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