LG SUP 6 Recommend Swim Tests for Deep Water Access at Lifeguarded Facilities
Recommend that swimming facilities with lifeguards administer swim tests, as determined by the facility, before allowing patrons to enter water over armpit depth unless they are wearing properly fitted, U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets.
Spectrum level: Changing Organizational Practices
Evidence level: Low
Rationale:
Ensuring that poor swimmers, or non-swimmers, do not enter water over their heads during open or public swim hours reduces the risk of drowning in guarded environments.
A number of agencies and facilities currently require swim tests, including: American Camp Association, Boy Scouts of America, YMCAs, JCCs, and some municipal pools.
The addition of a swim test will help in many regards, including, but not limited to the following. - Educating patrons, especially those most at-risk (e.g., children under age 10 and their caregivers, adolescent and young adult males) about the risk of being in water over their heads. - Educating patrons that poor swimmers, or non-swimmers, should wear life jackets if they enter water over their heads.
Anticipated Impact:
After implementing this recommendation, you can expect to experience the following outcomes.
- Fewer poor swimmers or non-swimmers entering the water over their heads.
- Reduced risk of drowning among patrons.
- A greater number of patrons understand the risk of being in water over their heads, especially the most at-risk patrons
- A greater number of patrons understand that poor- or non-swimmers, should wear Life Jackets if they enter water over their heads.
Evidence:
A number of agencies and facilities including American Camp Association, Boy Scouts of America, the YMCA, Jewish Community Center, and municipal pools currently require swim tests. Water safety experts believe that extending this requirement to all situations where lifeguards are present, at swimming pools and designated swimming areas in natural bodies of water, can reduce drownings at those locations. Additionally, water safety experts felt that this requirement will educate people about the risk of entering water over their heads, thereby helping to reduce drownings at unguarded locations.
Evidence Sources:
American Camp Association Standards (2019), PA.6 Participant Classifications
Safe Swim Defense in the Guide to Safe Scouting – Boy Scouts of America, with expanded guidance in Aquatics Supervision: A leader’s guide to swimming and boating activities.
Texas Administrative Code: Subchapter B. Texas Youth Camps Safety and Health, 265.11, (20) Swim test
New York State Department of Health, Children’s Camps in New York State: Swimming
On the Guard: The YMCA Lifeguard Manual. YMCA of the USA. Fifth Edition (2016). Chapter 3, Safety swim test and band system.
High Risk Populations Addressed:
Populations whose risk of drowning decreases the most with the implementation of this recommendation may have one or more of the following characteristics.
- Children under the age of 10
- Adolescent and young adult males
- Poor swimmers or non-swimmers
Evaluation Metrics:
Indicators of long-term impact:
- Increase in the number of states, counties, and cities that adopt the use of swim tests
- Increased number of national agencies that adopt and recommend the use of swim tests
Indicators of initial impact:
- Development of model policy and procedures to support adoption
Implementation:
Consider the following to ensure successful implementation:
- Determine the swim test particulars (e.g., distance, strokes, turns, etc.) that will be needed according to each agency's or facility's provided activities and the risk factors associated with their activities and facility.
Challenges to Implementation:
When implementing this recommendation, you might encounter challenges related to the following factors.
- The process for performing swim tests in natural bodies of water, where no docks or piers are present, may be a challenge that will need to be researched in order to provide guidance to those locations.
Potential Facilitators:
The following factors might facilitate the implementation of this recommendation.
- Agencies and facilities that currently require swim tests and lifeguard certifying agencies could be explored as models for implementation.
GAP Recommendation:
The process for performing swim tests in natural bodies of water where no docks or piers are present is not resolved in this recommendation and will need further consideration. Additional study may also be needed to determine whether guarded pools or designated swim areas with limited access to “deep” water, that is maximum depths of 4 to 5 feet, need swim tests to avoid the rescue situations that swim tests are designed to alleviate, particularly if young children are provided the option or required to wear life jackets.