Flintshire councillors are to consider recommendations on reviewing how they manage coastal sites, following the death of a nine-year-old boy.
According to the BBC, Jordan Baker drowned while playing in the River Dee with his father, brother and a friend in May 2009.
An inquest in January 2010 recorded an accidental death verdict with coroner John Hughes warning the river can be “treacherous”.
A report to the council says it should identify risks at its coastal sites.
“It is important that the council reflects on these types of incidents and reviews its risk management and directorate responsibilities in relation to the Dee estuary coastline,” states the paper being considered by Flintshire’s overview and scrutiny committee.
The report by the council’s director of environment identifies three dock areas in the county that need to be considered, at Greenfield, Flint and Connah’s Quay.
A number of sites of special scientific interest on the coast are also highlighted as areas where the council should review and manage risks associated with them and it recommends that councillors approve plans to undertake risk assessments of the sites, and to bring the overall management of the issues under its corporate property officer.
The report also calls for the council’s coastal unit to develop its role in the day-to-day management of the Flintshire coastline and dock areas.
It seems that while Jordan’s death has been assessed as accidental there is a clear belief that more could have been done to identify the potential risks posed by the river and to highlight them to those in the area. It always seems to take an incident such as this before a report with recommendations is put forward, wouldn’t it be great if councils adopted a pro-active approach to safety, identifying potential risks before they result in a death or injury? Risk management should be an ongoing process with constant assessment and reassessment to minimise the risk of injury. Hopefully the council will act quickly to prevent anymore unnecessary deaths.
