Action Page – Preventing Worker Drownings

The California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program investigates work-related fatalities to identify the causes and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

This video explains how José, a 45-year-old lake maintenance worker, drowned after falling from a boat while clearing weeds from a golf course lake... and what can be done to prevent this from happening again.

Digital stories are best used as educational triggers that can kick off a worker training session and facilitate discussion. See below for video discussion questions, fact sheets, the corresponding FACE investigation report, and video download instructions.

Preventing Worker Drownings Video

Digital Story Discussion Questions

• What caused José to drown?
• Have you or someone you know ever faced a similar hazard?
• What is some safety equipment that could have been used at José's jobsite?
• What needs to be done to identify potential drowning hazards prior to starting a job?

Resources

​Fact Sheet

• Maintenance Worker Drowns When He Falls From a Boat Fact Sheet (PDF) | Spanish

Fatality Investigation Reports

• Pool cleaner dies when he falls into a residential pool he was cleaning (24CA004)​​​
  
• Poultry Processing Production Worker Drowns in an Open Offal Wastewater Pit (23CA002)​
• ​Lake Maintenance Worker Drowns While Removing Weeds from a Golf Course Lake (15CA001)

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