Bath Seats and Child Drownings
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Bath seats for babies provide a false sense of security with possible fatal outcomes.
The baby bath seat provides a salutary lesson of how the consequences of not following manufacturer's instructions can be fatal, even when warnings are required by a safety standard 1 to be clearly displayed on the product.
Giving evidence into the death of a baby in a bath to the West Hertfordshire Coroner' inquest in St Albans on 9 June 1999 Jenkins 2 cited fifty-five instances in which children under five had drowned in baths over a ten-year period to the end of 1998.There are now 78 such cases (see Table). RoSPA's drowning database is compiled from press reports. There is no official database of such cases. Several press reports mention bath seats and evidence given to the court by carers, usually the mother, is that she left the child in the bath "only for a brief moment", "just to answer the door/'phone" or "to fetch clothing/towels/toys".
More research can be found here: Drowning of babies in bath seats: do they provide false reassurance?
USA Experience
The USA Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found a similar problem after 69 babies drowned in baths implicating bath seats and rings during the period January 1983 to November 2000 3. They considered a petition to ban the seats on the basis that "Baby bath seats present an unreasonable risk of injury and death to children. Each year at least eight babies die as a result of drowning associated with bath seat use" as reported by the CPSC (2001) but eventually rejected it.
Discussion
The product may be considered inherently unsafe and should be banned but it is acceptable when used as intended by the manufacturer. The standard requires a warning not to leave a child unattended to be marked conspicuously and permanently on the seat but this is clearly not sufficient to prevent a recurrence of the drownings because the carer is tempted to leave a child 'just for a moment' with fatal results.
A risk assessment carried out on the product would identify the worst consequence as death by drowning but the frequency with which this could occur is low. The risk level would be significant and have to be addressed by measures that were more effective than the temptation to leave the child unattended 'to answer the door'. If as seems likely the product will continue to be sold and not banned by the authorities, amore prominent warning may need to be provided at point of sale stating "5 babies drown in baths every year in the UK - NEVER leave your child alone in the bath".
The design of the seat may also need to be improved so that a baby cannot free itself. Climbing out of the seat and squeezing through the apertures are methods of escaping from the seat and the CPSC report also found seats tipped over because their suction pads were ineffective. Baby bath seat manufacturers and standards writers will need to apply meaningful safe performance criteria that can be readily assessed.
Summary
- The fatalities listed in the table are taken from press reports over the past 14 years;
- There is no official list of such cases;
- Details such as the use of a bath seat may not be recorded in the press report;
- Those cases where a bath seat is mentioned in the press report are highlighted;
- Not every drowning will have been mentioned in the press;
- Only those similar to the case under consideration have been listed;
- Accident reporting is improving and should become more reliable.
The information RoSPA now has indicates that the warning moulded into the seat frame as required by the standard is being ignored and that the use of such seats may encourage a carer to leave a baby unattended even for a short while, to answer the phone perhaps, with disastrous consequences.
- 78 children under 5 have died in baths in UK homes in the 14 year period;
- 5 children die in drowning accidents in baths in UK homes every year;
- 53 (2/3rds) were under 2 years old;
- At least 6 fatal drownings involved the use of bath seats - all one year and under;
- Even momentary lack of supervision can lead to disastrous consequences;
- Bath seats may encourage the carer to leave a baby unattended;
- RoSPA's advice is "Never leave your baby unattended in the bath".
Action
Under the General Product Safety Directive 4 which will updated and applied in this country under revised General Product Safety Regulations 5 a prospective purchaser must be given sufficient information in order to assess the risk presented by a product. The information surrounding the use of baby bath seats, because it has led to serious outcomes, must be provided to consumers in order for them to make an informed judgement as to whether or not to purchase the product. The presence of a conspicuous, legible and durable label at the point of sale and a further notice on the packaging may be necessary to comply with this requirement.
Proposal
A notice should be prominently displayed where Baby Bath Seats are offered for sale: "5 babies drown in baths each year in UK - NEVER leave your child in the bath". A similar notice should be marked prominently on all packages of Baby Bath Seats.
Table: Press reported drowning deaths - under 5s in domestic baths - UK 1989 - 1996
| Location/Name |
Year |
Sex/Age |
Notes |
| Bristol, Avon |
1989 |
M/2 |
Found face down - unsupervised |
| Shepherds Bush, London |
1989 |
M/<1 |
Unsupervised in bath with 1yo sister |
| Lincoln, Lincs |
1989 |
M/1 |
Briefly left unsupervised by mother |
| E Grinstead, W Sussex |
1989 |
M/1 |
Unsupervised while mother answered phone |
| Bradford, Wilts |
1989 |
F/1 |
Unsupervised with 2yo in 6" water |
| East Bowling, W Yorks |
1990 |
F/2 |
Mother left bathroom briefly |
| Great Clifton, Cumbria |
1990 |
F/<1 |
Mother left unattended to fetch towel |
| Bellinge, Northants |
1990 |
M/<1 |
No details |
| Northshields, Tyne & Wear |
1990 |
M/3 |
Mother left him playing |
| Alway, Gwent |
1990 |
M/1 |
Left with two siblings unattended |
| Fairstead, Norfolk |
1990 |
F/<1 |
Unsupervised with 3yo brother |
| Leamington Spa, Warwick |
1990 |
F/1 |
With another baby, left briefly to answer door |
| Mixenden, W.Yorks |
1991 |
F/<1 |
Mother left 3 in bath to turn off oven |
| Alton, Hants |
1991 |
F/2 |
Mother left briefly to fetch towel - water 0.15m |
| Thornaby, Cleveland |
1991 |
M/1 |
Collapsed - mother fetched towel had pneumonia |
| Swansea, W.Glamorgan |
1991 |
F/4 |
Suffered fits. Mother talking downstairs |
| Holloway, Gtr London |
1991 |
M/1 |
In special baby bath chair briefly unsupervised |
| Whitley, Berks |
1991 |
M/<1 |
With a three year old |
| Dudley, West Midlands |
1991 |
M/<1 |
Briefly left unsupervised to answer phone - 3cm |
| Dewsbury, W.Yorkshire |
1991 |
M/1 |
Briefly left in bath with 2 year old brother |
| Bagillt, Clwyd |
1991 |
M/1 |
Left to play with 3 year old brother |
| Gabalfa, S. Glamorgan |
1992 |
F/2 |
Unsupervised mother drying twin -15cm deep |
| Barlby, N. Yorks |
1992 |
F/3 |
Briefly unsupervised, was washing her dolls |
| Tiverton, Devon |
1992 |
M/1 |
Briefly unsupervised, mother fetching towel |
| Abbeywood, Gtr London |
1993 |
M/1 |
Briefly unsupervised by mother |
| Colneyheath, Herts |
1993 |
F/<1 |
Left with 3yo boy while water drained out |
| Frome, Somerset |
1993 |
M/2 |
Briefly unsupervised mother answering phone |
| Shadwell, W.Yorks |
1993 |
M/<1 |
Briefly unsupervised floating seat tilted forward |
| Mountainash, Mid Glam |
1993 |
M/2 |
Being minded by 14yo |
| Bedfont, Gtr London |
1994 |
M/1 |
No details |
| Wembley, Gtr London |
1994 |
M/1 |
Left unsupervised in bath |
| West Midlands |
1994 |
M/1 |
Left alone briefly to fetch towel - 9" water |
| Bradford, W.Yorks |
1994 |
F/<1 |
Left unsupervised to answer phone |
| Eshwinning, C.Durham |
1995 |
M/<1 |
Left unsupervised in bath with 3yo brother |
| Corby, Northants |
1995 |
M/<1 |
Left in bath briefly unsupervised |
| Walsall, W.Midlands |
1995 |
F/<1 |
Briefly unsupervised |
| Storrington, W.Sussex |
1995 |
M/<1 |
Briefly unsupervised |
| Abbey Wood, Gtr London |
1995 |
M/3 |
Left briefly unsupervised in 6" water |
| Jersey |
1996 |
F/<1 |
Left unattended by babysitter, died later |
| Colleyhurst, Manchester |
1996 |
M<1 |
Left unsupervised while mother fetched towel |
| Pitsea, Essex |
1996 |
F/1 |
Left briefly unsupervised |
| Lancashire |
1996 |
M/1 |
Left unsupervised in bath |
| Harrogate, N.Yorkshire |
1996 |
F/1 |
Left unattended by 9yo while mother slept |
| Waltham Abbey, London |
1996 |
F/1 |
With brother in bath, no adult supervision |
| Battersea, London |
1996 |
M/2 |
Briefly unsupervised while mum answered door |
| Bristol, Avon |
1997 |
M/3 |
Left unsupervised for 3 mins in bath |
| Worksop, Nottingham |
1997 |
M/3 |
Unsupervised in bath for a few minutes |
| Tottenham, London |
1998 |
M/3 |
Unsupervised for a short time |
| Folkestone, Kent |
1998 |
M/1 |
Found submerged in bath |
| Folkestone, Kent |
1998 |
M/2 |
Left unsupervised for short time |
| Norfolk |
1998 |
F/5 |
Left unsupervised in bath |
| Carshalton, Surrey |
1998 |
M/2 |
Left unsupervised in bath |
| Troon, Ayrshire |
1998 |
F/2 |
Left unsupervised in bath |
| Rotherham, S.Yorkshire |
1998 |
M/<1 |
Left unsupervised in bath chair |
| Falkirk |
1998 |
F/<1 |
Unsupervised for seconds |
| |
1999 |
F/<1 |
Drowned in bath after birth |
| |
1999 |
M/1 |
Home in bath |
| |
1999 |
F/3 |
Mother fell knocked herself out bathing 2 girls |
| |
1999 |
F/1 |
Bath both girls |
| |
1999 |
?/3 |
No details |
| |
1999 |
M/<1 |
In bath mother left unattended to make breakfast |
| |
1999 |
M/4 |
In bath - fainted? mother went for pyjamas |
| |
1999 |
M/1 |
In bath with mother. Mother had epileptic fit |
| |
2000 |
M/3 |
Fell in bath retrieving dummy |
| |
2000 |
M/1 |
Left unsupervised in bath for few seconds |
| |
2000 |
M/<1 |
In bath with father who fell asleep after drinking |
| |
2001 |
M/<1 |
Left unsupervised whilst mother on phone |
| |
2001 |
F/<1 |
Drowned in bath with 2 yr old sister |
| |
2001 |
M/<1 |
In bath at home |
| |
2002 |
M/1 |
In bath at his home when head went under water |
| |
2002 |
M/<1 |
In bath on plastic seat mother fetching towel |
| |
2002 |
F/2 |
7yo boy held her down in water whilst in bath |
| |
2002 |
M/<1 |
Left unsupervised in bath seat tipped up |
| |
2002 |
?/2 |
Climbed in bath mom waiting for water to heat |
| |
2002 |
F/1 |
Left in bath with sister while mum fetched towel |
| |
2002 |
M/4 |
Mum ran bath, he climbed in but couldn't get out |
| |
2002 |
M/<1 |
Toppled over in bath seat, found face down |
| |
2002 |
F/<1 |
Left unattended whilst mother fetched towel |
| |
2003 |
F/3 |
Unsupervised in bath for short time |
| |
2003 |
F/3 |
Mother distracted by other child who ran outside |
| |
2003 |
F/1 |
Mother left her in seat to answer door |
6
Abbreviations:
F = Female child
M = Male child
? = gender unknown
/x = age in years
/<1 = under 1 year
References
1 EN 13822 Bath seats
2 David Jenkins, Product Safety Adviser to RoSPA
3 CPSC (2001), USA Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Document reference HP 00-4. Dated 30.03.01.
4 General Product Safety Directive [92/59/EEC]
5 General Product Safety Regulations 1994 [SI 1994 No.2328]
6 Press reported drowning in the UK - Published by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Birmingham
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