1. Pool operator negligence
2. Victorian education department drowning incident.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : A tragic incident at a school camp in Victoria has resulted in a pool operator and the Victorian education department being fined $180,000 after an eight-year-old boy drowned during his first overnight school trip.
The Grade 2 student, Cooper Onyett, lost his life on May 21, 2021, at Belfast Aquatics in Port Fairy, southwest Victoria. The trip was organized by Merrivale Primary School in Warrnambool.
Prior to the excursion, the school had sent out permission slips and medical forms to parents, inquiring about their children’s swimming abilities. Cooper’s mother indicated that he was a beginner swimmer with little or no experience in shallow water.
Despite this information, the school failed to communicate the students’ swimming levels to the pool before the trip, which led to 28 young students being sent to the aquatic center.
During their visit, the Grade 2 students were asked to raise their hands if they could swim. Those who claimed they could were directed to an inflatable obstacle course in the deep end of the pool. However, many of these students were later identified as weak swimmers and moved to the shallow end.
Cooper was among those identified as a weak swimmer but was seen outside the shallow area multiple times, including jumping into the deep end and onto the inflatable, despite instructions to stay in the shallow end.
Tragically, Cooper was later found floating underwater and attempts to resuscitate him at the pool were unsuccessful.
In a court hearing at Warrnambool last week, it was revealed that the pool operator and the education department had pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations related to Cooper’s death. The pool operator was fined $80,000, while the department was fined $100,000.
Prosecutor Duncan Chisholm emphasized that had the information about the children’s swimming abilities been shared with Belfast Aquatics, it could have helped prevent the tragedy.
The court also heard that lifeguards were not provided with the necessary information and procedures for using the inflatable course, and the education department should have informed the pool about the children’s swimming levels to reduce the risk of drowning.
Narelle Beer, the executive director of WorkSafe Health and Safety, expressed disbelief that young children were allowed to use an obstacle course in the deep end of the pool without a proper assessment of their swimming abilities.
She emphasized the importance of schools using parents’ information to ensure the safety of children on outings.
The failures that led to Cooper’s death have devastated his family and loved ones, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.
– With additional reporting from AAP..
1. Pool operator Victorian education department fines boy’s drowning
2. Pool operator Victorian education department fines drowning incident.
