Imagine you're on a beach in the summer sun. Nearby there's a family enjoying a day out. One child is building a huge sandcastle and another is playing in the water with friends.

Their laughter and excited shouts are muted by the lapping waves. The parents are relaxed, enjoying the sunshine. Yet they are unaware that their children are swimming at a notoriously dangerous beach. They are near a rip current that could drag them out to sea within seconds. Like many beach goers, they don't even know what a rip current isReal-life accounts of the risks people take at the beach were highlighted in the recent TV series Danger on the Beach. In one episode, a mother, whose son had drowned at a beach in Dorset, courageously told the camera of her grief and guilt. She regretted that she hadn't been more aware of the risks involved at that particular beach and wished there had been signs to warn her. She didn't want the same tragedy to happen to other families. Nor does the RNLI.

RNLI beach lifeguards patrol on 57 beaches in the Southwest and local lifesaving clubs patrol many others around the coast. Lifeguards help reduce the number of losses significantly, but there are still around 7,000 serious accidents and 300deaths on beaches in the UK and the Republic of Ireland each year. Most of these drownings are a direct result of a lack of understanding of key safety information or lack of the information itself.

The RNLI aims to reduce deaths and serious accidents on the beaches through education and raising awareness. Its beach safety team look at different ways of reaching the public with their messages, so that families and individuals can enjoy the seaside more safely. They target the entire UK and Republic of Ireland, not just the current Beach Lifeguards territory of the South West.

The standardisation of beach safety signage and symbols has become a priority.

Currently the various beach owners (from local authorities to private landowners) make decisions independently about safety signage on their beaches. Some don't put up signs at all and others create their own individual signs.The look and feel of the signs are inconsistent, making it hard for people to recognise them as essential points of information.

RNLI Beach Safety Manager Steve Wills is working alongside the British Standards Institute, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and other organisations to develop a national beach safety symbol, flag and buoy standard. The RNLI has developed standard signs to ensure that key beach safety information is simple to understand - by both adults and children.

Beach goers will be able to make informed decisions about the risks involved. Steve stresses the importance of cooperating with other organisations: 'Joint and consistent messages are so much more effective and far reaching.'The intention is to reduce the level of less important information and concentrate on key factors such as the dangers associated with the beach, what the flags mean and where to get help. It is hoped that checking the signs wilt become second nature for beach goers in the future and that the signs will become as recognisable as motorway signage is today.

In supporting the RNLI's beach signage project, local authorities and beach owners are helping reduce deaths on their beaches.

They are also helping themselves: in an increasingly litigious society, beach operators are often left open to blame when accidents occur. A lack of clear signage can be highlighted in the courts as a fault of the beach operator, The RNLI is running trials of the new signage atWeymouth (Dorset) and South Hams (Devon) this year and is hoping to launch the standard signage UK wide in 2005.

The RNLI will only fund signs at a limited number of Beach Lifeguards areas, but is working with local authorities and other organisations to encourage them to install the signs on all beaches in the UK.

West Dorset District Council has already arranged RNLI-designed signage for the beaches it owns that do not have lifeguards. It is also funding signage at beaches in the West Dorset area that are privately owned, for example by the National Trust or holiday parks.

'The striking and simple signs will warn beach goers of hazards such as strong currents or steeply shelving beaches and also give more general beach safety advice such as keeping children supervised. The public can only benefit from these safety messages and enjoy their beach visit more.' Ted Rawles, Principal Engineer, West Dorset District Council Steve Wills is confident that the signage will save lives, as countries where standard signage is already in place have seen the number of drownings reduced.

Of course the signage alone cannot stop all potential accidents and deaths at the beach.The RNLI has many other strands to its beach safety work. In the South West of England, only 42% of beach users understand what the red and yellow flags mean. This prompted an aerial banner campaign in 2003, taking the 'Swim between the flags' message to around 1 million people on the beaches.

After the flyover, questionnaires were distributed. The research highlighted that 55% more beach users entered the water between the flags after the banner flew over. The banner will fly again in 2004 on busy days at the beach for maximum effect - at weekends, public holidays and at peak times during the day.

RNLI beach lifeguards also spread the beach safety messages to beach goers. Active rescue is nearly always the last resort when all other attempts to prevent an incident have been exhausted. Part of the RNLI lifeguards' induction covers proactive beach safety skills.

They are taught the importance of surveillance and preventing incidents before they happen.

'It's much easier to speak to a child with an inflatable before they go in the sea on a windy day, than it is to rescue the child when they are being blown away from shore,1 says Steve Wills.

Dave Gorman, Beach Safety Supervisor, took the beach safety roadshow trailer to overMeasuring success How does the RNLI measure the success of its beach safety initiatives? How does it know it has altered the way people behave at the beach? To answer these questions the RNLI conducted research in 2003 using a specialist market research company called Prescient to establish benchmarks. For example, by measuring the percentage of people who knew what the red and yellow flags meant in 2003, further annual surveys can show if the key messages are getting through. Through annual key performance indicators, measuring incident trends and surveys, the RNLI can see if its preventative measures are working. This will also help the RNLI develop clear priorities for beach safety planning beyond 2004100 events in 2003. The roadshow, which will be even busier in 2004, comprises a mobile beach education vehicle, containing a plasma screen to present videos and DVDs, lifeguarding equipment for display and a wide selection of printed beach safety and RNLI information.

The roadshow's aim is to promote beach safety issues and the RNLI as an organisation.

It is a perfect vehicle to communicate with a new and younger audience, creating RNLI supporters for now and the future. Recent research showed that only 4% of beach goers were concerned with safety features when choosing a beach to visit. The roadshow can help tackle this, reaching the general public, young and old, on beaches, at clubs and schools. If you are interested in inviting the roadshow to attend an event, you will need to contact the beach safety team (see the contact details below).

The RNLI addresses all beach users with its safety advice, but recognises that there are key beach users that are particularly at risk, including young males and families. RNLI regional education officers help spread beach safety messages to children and young people across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

They arrange for volunteers to provide educational services to schools, clubs and youth organisations, including talks and presentations.

All those delivering beach safety messages are armed with publications and resources including factcards, poster games, videos and localised safety leaflets.

If you wish to have copies, contact the beach safety team. The website www.mli.org.uk/beachlifeguards includes beach safety tips and an interactive beach safety game. The site was voted website of the month by leading internet magazine Webuser in 2003.

If you are going to the beach this summer, before you go please take the time to visit the website for a safer and fun day out at the beach and always remember FLAGS (see right).

For the beach safety team freephone 0800 328 0600 or email: beachsafety@rnti. org. uk For more on Beach Lifeguards seepage 17.Beach tt u, Lifeguards To stay safe at the beach always remember F L A G S ind the red and yellow flags and swim between them ook at the safety signs sk a lifeguard for advice et a friend to swim with you tick your hand up and shout for help if in difficulty.