A tragic incident has sparked grave concerns over the overlooked regulation and safety checks currently surrounding the cold-water therapy industry. The victim, Kellie Poole, met an untimely demise at the tender age of 39 on 25th April, 2022, after plunging back into the frigid waters of the River Goyt in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire.
Behind her lamentable passing was an unforeseen combination of an undiagnosed heart condition and sudden immersion into cold water, ultimately inducing a fatal cardiac arrest. Despite the disquieting circumstances of her death, investigations divulged no malpractice on the part of the session’s operators.
Derbyshire’s principal coroner, Peter Nieto, has since forwarded a report on preventing future deaths to the Health and Safety Executive(HSE). Nieto emphasized that his apprehensions didn’t solely emerge from Poole’s tragic incident, but rather originate from the evident lack of safety guidance and regulation prevalent in the cold water therapy industry. The industry, he believes, is characterised by loosely regulated operations and a notable absence of stringent safety checks.
Nieto pointed out how widely recognised institutions such as the HSE or other suitable bodies hadn’t provided specific safety guidelines for these activities due to the limits of their current purview. Furthermore, he revealed how local authority environmental health departments remained befuddled on how they could effectively supervise these cold-water therapy establishments.
Despite never voicing any prior health complications, Poole, a mother of three hailing from Droylsden in Tameside, Greater Manchester, became unsteady after expressing discomfort due to a headache post entering the water. Despite the prompt efforts to revive her once extracted from the water, Poole was declared dead on the scene. The temperature of the water she collapsed into was documented as a chilling 10.7C (51.3F) that fateful day.
While extending condolences to Poole’s loved ones, the HSE spokesperson informed that they had received the raised apprehensions communicated by the coroner last week and assured that a thorough review of these concerns would be undertaken in due course.
