Hotel Employee Drowns in Swimming Pool

Details

• Personal Author:
  Stumbo, David
• Corporate Authors:
  University of Kentucky. College of Public Health. Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center
• Description:
  At 11:11 a.m. on December 18, 2023, a 23-year-old hotel worker died after he drowned while cleaning out the hotel pool. Video footage of the incident indicated that he was working alone and had entered the pool to remove submerged trash, even though equipment was available nearby that would have allowed him to do the work without entering the pool. When he entered the deep end of the pool (approximately 7 feet deep) he attempted to dive down to retrieve trash but then could not remain afloat or reach the side of the pool. He struggled but could not self-rescue and sank to the bottom. Shortly thereafter, he was discovered by a coworker who used a rescue pole with a shepherd's hook to pull him from the pool. The coworker attempted to revive the drowned employee as did emergency rescue services. He was taken to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead by attending physicians on December 21, 2023. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS - Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include: Lack of an aquatics safety plan; Lack of education and training; Lack of lifesaving training; Lack of pool-related safe work practices; Working alone in water; Lack of available personal flotation device. RECOMMENDATIONS - Kentucky investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: Institute an aquatics safety plan, Prohibit employees from working in or near water until first providing appropriate education and training, Provide training in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Establish pool safety-related work practices, Establish procedures to monitor workers working alone, Provide and ensure the use of personal flotation devices. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Drowning First Aid Mortality Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Fatalities First Aid Injury Prevention Personal Flotation Device PFD Region 4 Safety Practices Training
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death: Medical ; Motor Vehicle: Emergency Vehicle ; Motor Vehicle: Miscellaneous
• Series:
  Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE23KY115
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Case Report
• Place as Subject:
  Birmingham Region [OSHA] ; Kentucky ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA] ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070217
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 23KY115, 2024 Oct; :1-11
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of Kentucky
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  72 - Accommodation and Food Services - (NAICS) ; 721110 - Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:06a3b94a51c8d8ebaed60a01f26a388dcadd407b2604ba8a61a1535e6272d552858e1dc7617d401939ad39e1dfaf7b06916dab10ffc169ced03bc06cff2f93d1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228553/cdc_228553_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 987.94 KB ]