101 Days of Summer: Think safety when it comes to water sports Published July 17, 2013 By Steve Serrette 72nd Air Base Wing Safety Office TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Sports and recreational activities account for the largest number of reported off-duty Class C injuries which resulted in lost duty time. Although basketball remains the sport resulting in the majority of injuries; summer activities bring risks in many other sports. This article focuses on water sports: boating, swimming or jet skiing. As in everything we do, the principles of risk management always apply and may be the key to saving a life. The U.S. Coast Guard reports that boating fatalities jumped 12.8 percent in 2011 and are now at the highest level since 1998, according their report http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/workflow_staging/Publications/557.PDF. As in all water sports, much of the danger comes from drowning accidents. The top three factors are: lack of swimming ability, lack of barriers and lack of close supervision; all of which are manageable risks. Listed below are resources for boating and other water activities: · http://www.uscgboating.org · http://www.cdc.gov/ HomeandRecreational Safety/Water-Safety/waterinjuriesfactsheet.html · http://www.cdc.gov/Features/drowningprevention