Periodically test your boat for electrical leakage into the water.Swimmers near boat docks can be affected and shocked in the water near to the dock because of this technical wiring deficiency. Ask your marina if they have installed ground-fault protection, and if the electrical system is inspected and tested annually-just in case someone falls overboard.Install ground-fault protection on your boat and private dock.Have a qualified electrician with experience in dock electrical service inspect your private dock annually.Never Swim around boat docks that use electricity.What can you do to prevent an electrocution or ESD fatality? Here are 6 tips: Tingling in the swimmer’s body is one of the early warning signs of ESD. Unlike a drowning swimmer, who typically can’t yell out for help because their mouth is mostly underwater, an ESD victim is often confused about what is happening, may be able to shout, and will feel numbness, tingling, pain and paralysis. In saltwater, electrical current takes the path of least resistance, bypassing swimmers. The risk of ESD is greatest in freshwater or brackish water, so some areas such as estuaries or rivers may only be in the danger zone after heavy rains. Unlike electrocution, with ESD a swimmer does not need to be touching a boat or dock structure, and even minute amounts of electricity can be incapacitating and lead to drowning. Electrocution can happen in freshwater or saltwater, when swimmers make contact with energized metal dock fittings, boats or other structures due to faulty alternating current (AC) wiring.ĮSD occurs when AC gets into freshwater from faulty wiring and passes through a swimmer, causing paralysis or even sudden death. While swimming deaths due to electricity fall into two categories, electrocution and electric shock drowning (ESD), both can be prevented the same way. The BoatUS Foundation, the boating-safety arm of the nations’ largest recreational boat owners group, has some tips to prevent an electrocution tragedy. Initial reports say the youngster died when touching a dock’s electrified boatlift, and the Ohio teen died as a result of dangerous electrical current in the water while trying to save his father and family dog that also appeared to be stricken by the electrical current. – The fatalities over the weekend of an 11-year-old girl in New Jersey and 19-year-old young man in Ohio are bringing scrutiny to an age-old summer ritual that’s common on waterfronts across America: swimming near boat docks. Swimming near boat docks with electrical power can be deadly. Follow this Rule: “Reach, Throw, Row, but DON’T GO.”.Someone in Trouble? Shut Down Power to Dock First.Freshwater Docks are More Dangerous than Saltwater Docks. ![]() Never Swim Near Boat Docks that have Electrical Power.
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