Cooper Onyett : “Pool Operator & Victorian Education Department Fined $180K”

Accident – Death – Obituary News : : 1. Pool safety regulations
2. Water safety compliance

A tragic incident at Belfast Aquatics in Port Fairy, Victoria, resulted in the drowning of eight-year-old Cooper Onyett during a school camp organized by Merrivale Primary School. Despite the school collecting information on students’ swimming abilities, it failed to communicate this crucial information to the pool operator, leading to the devastating loss of Cooper’s life. The pool operator and Victorian education department were fined a total of $180,000 for breaching health and safety regulations. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of accurately assessing children’s swimming abilities to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.

The Tragic Drowning Incident of Eight-Year-Old Cooper Onyett

It was a day that started like any other school trip for young Cooper Onyett, a Grade 2 student at Merrivale Primary School in Warrnambool, Victoria. Little did anyone know that it would end in tragedy at Belfast Aquatics in Port Fairy, a picturesque town in Victoria’s southwest. Cooper, a beginner swimmer with little to no experience in shallow water, tragically lost his life on May 21, 2021, during his first overnight school camp.

The Fateful School Trip

Cooper’s school had diligently sent out permission slips and medical forms to parents before the trip, seeking information about their children’s swimming abilities. Cooper’s mother had ticked a box confirming his beginner status, but unfortunately, this crucial information was not relayed to Belfast Aquatics before the students arrived. This oversight proved to be fatal as 28 young students, including Cooper, were sent to the pool without the lifeguards being aware of their swimming capabilities.

A Preventable Tragedy

Upon arrival at the aquatic centre, the grade 2 students were asked to raise their hands if they could swim. Those who claimed they could were led to an inflatable obstacle course in the pool’s deep end. However, many of them were later identified as weak swimmers and guided back to the shallow end. Cooper, too, was among these children, but tragically, he ventured back into the deep end twice, despite being told to stay in the shallow area.

A concerned swimmer noticed Cooper floating underwater and initially thought he was holding his breath. However, after realizing something was amiss, attempts to resuscitate him at the pool proved futile. Cooper’s untimely death shook the community and raised questions about the safety measures in place during school outings.

Legal Consequences and Lessons Learned

On Friday, the Port Fairy Community Pool Management Group Inc and the Victorian education department were fined a total of $180,000 for breaching health and safety legislation in connection with Cooper’s tragic death. The pool operator was fined $80,000, while the department faced a $100,000 penalty.

The court heard that the pool failed to provide lifeguards with information and procedures for using the inflatable course, while the education department neglected to communicate the children’s swimming abilities to Belfast Aquatics. These lapses in communication and oversight led to a devastating outcome that could have been prevented with proper precautions and information sharing.

WorkSafe Health and Safety executive director Narelle Beer expressed disbelief at how young children were allowed to use an obstacle course in the deep end without a thorough assessment of their swimming abilities. She emphasized the importance of using information provided by parents for its intended purpose – to ensure the safety of children in educational settings.

The tragic loss of Cooper Onyett serves as a stark reminder of the importance of effective communication, risk assessment, and safety protocols during school outings. As the community mourns the loss of a young life, lessons must be learned to prevent such heart-wrenching incidents in the future.

– With AAP