Published 1 January 2013

The Royal Life Saving Society UK has announced that industry intelligence revealed no pool drowning deaths occurred in UK swimming pools during 2012.

Previous years have seen some fatalities due to pool drownings; between 5-10 deaths in 2011 and 2010, so with no pool drownings in 2012 this is a momentous year for all those involved with managing the delivery of water safety. It is testament to the hard work, commitment and dedication of pool lifeguards, pool trainers and approved training centre’s who all worked together to achieve this incredible result.

Di Standley, CEO of The Royal Life Saving Society UK said: “This is a very significant and proud achievement for all involved in pool lifeguarding and water safety.  We hope that 2013 will be another landmark year with zero UK pool drownings.”

IQL the trading subsidiary of The Royal Life Saving Society UK launched the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification 8^th Edition (NPLQ 8^th Edition) in January 2012 and rolled it out to over 4,000 Trainer Assessors covering 2,500 swimming pools. The NPLQ 8^th Edition is a tailored syllabus developed from listening to industry needs, combined with The Royal Life Saving Society UK’s expertise in pool lifeguard training.

Tara Dillon, Executive Director of IQL commented: “It is only with the support of pool lifeguards, pool trainers, and approved training centres that IQL is able to continue to deliver the most respected and relevant lifeguarding qualifications in the world.”