Refreshing your knowledge on how to keep your swimming area safe and prevent childhood drownings is a good idea right now. Take these precautions to make pools safe and enjoyable because they are there to be enjoyed. Keep the following in mind to better grasp the nature of pool safety:
Unfortunately, there is a genuine risk of drowning and other pool-related accidents. For young children between the ages of one and four, drowning is the biggest cause of unintentional death. In swimming pools or spas, at least 148 children under 15 years old lost their lives between Memorial Day and Labor Day in 2018. Two times as many kids are hospitalized for injuries as there are fatalities. It only takes 4-6 minutes underwater to permanently harm the brain.
Security precautions are necessary for portable “toy” pools just like they are for their permanent above-ground and in-ground equivalents. 10% of children under 15 who drown and die are victims of portable pools.
There isn’t a single safety feature or safeguard that can entirely childproof your spa or pool or stop any potential accidents. Include a variety of the here-listed protections in your pool safety plan.
Barricades and other safety devices are not a suitable replacement for a responsible adult. Even if a child is able to swim, they should never be left unattended near water.
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1. Set Up Pool & Spa Fences
The first line of defense consists of physical obstacles, such as walls, fences, and coverings. They are required by state or local law in some regions. Home insurance contracts often stipulate that all local regulations must be followed. It’s a good idea to prohibit entry because, according to your policy, you’re likely accountable for any mishaps that occur to pool visitors, even those who weren’t invited.
What to Look for in Pool Barriers
Children shouldn’t be able to cross the pool fence or wall by themselves, or crawl beneath it. The sort of pool you have and the style of barrier you have will determine exact recommendations. These pool barrier recommendations are an excellent place to start because local rules can differ or not exist:
- Fences around swimming pools should be at least four feet tall; five feet or more is preferred.
- A tiny child should not be able to fit through any gaps in the fence. Vertical fence bars should not be spaced apart by more than four inches.
- A wall or fence shouldn’t have any holes, cuts, or stones that are large enough to serve as hand and footholds. Make sure the apertures in any fence cutouts, such as decorative shapes or lattice holes, are no wider than 1 34 inches.
- Fences made of chain link should not be wider than 1 1/4 inches. If the fence mesh is too big, block off the gaps with vertical slats.
- Avoid placing close structures (such as benches or big stones). A child can use these items to help them jump the fence.
- Self-closing locks that are out of children’s reach should be on gates leading to the pool area. If the gate is left open, no fence is safe.
- The installation of a hardscaped, permanent fence is not always required. When constructed properly, mesh pool barriers that are relatively affordable may meet standards. If you have any questions, consult a pool safety expert.
Pool & Spa Covers
Another way to prevent accidents is to keep the water covered. For smaller hot tubs and spas, rigid folding covers are better than soft floating covers because they block water access more completely. Consider using locking straps to secure the cover.
For pools, both manual and automatic covers are available. Manually laid covers stretch across the top of the pool (either by hand or a crank mechanism) and anchor into the pool deck. Automatically retracting covers tend to be easier to use, but also more expensive. If you have an automatic cover, keep the controls out of reach of children.
Another option is a pool safety net, which stretches over the surface of the pool and anchors down around its perimeter. When installed correctly, their strong synthetic materials catch and support kids that tumble in.
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2. Secure the Pool Gates & Doors
Think of all the routes kids could take from the house to the water. Increase security measures that make it more difficult for uncontrolled entry.
- For doors that lead outside (or anywhere else that is off limits), childproof doorknob covers, lever locks, and sliding door locks are excellent additions. They are unobtrusive, affordable, and simple to install.
- Gate alarms emit a signal when they open, alerting you immediately if a boisterous child enters. There are a number of choices created expressly for pool safety. If any of them enter the pool area, take into consideration installing alarms on the windows or dog doors.
- Use baby gates or freestanding play yards to assist confine children to a specific area if there are no existing fences or gates (or the present barriers are simple to climb over).
- After you’ve secured the area, if you’re still worried that children will enter the pool, you might want to think about purchasing a pool alarm, an in-water motion detector that sounds an alarm when movement is detected. Even wearable alarms are available for young escape artists.
3. Check Pool Drain Covers and Drains
Even strong swimmers can become trapped below the surface by the underwater suction created by pool and spa drains. Children have been pushed into drains in several terrible accidents when they not only drowned or almost drowned but also got hurt by the drain.
Again, check with your local government and pool safety experts.
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4. Pool Cleaning Chemicals and Maintenance
When applied correctly, chlorine eliminates parasites and bacteria found in water in a way that is safe for people to consume. But dirty pools and improperly handled chemicals can cause annoyance, disease, and even fires or explosions.
Keep chemicals, preferably in a secured container, absolutely out of children’s reach. Due to the possibility of chemical reactions that could result in combustions, they should be stored separately from other home cleaners. The storage area should be kept free of leaves, dirt, and other debris, and any chemical spills should be cleaned up right away. Keep material safety data sheets (MSDS) handy in case you have any questions about how to use, handle, or store the cleaning chemicals after requesting them from your pool chemical supplier.
5. Pool Safety Rules & Skills – Make Them Known
This precaution for pool safety is never really complete. Monitoring children near and in the pool requires constant parental attention. Children should be taught not to run around the pool, never to enter in by themselves, and never to play close to the jets or drains.
Make sure to enforce appropriate play and be selective about the toys and flotation devices you permit. Many professionals advise avoiding slides and diving boards entirely. Keep in mind that life jackets and flotation devices are simply secondary safety equipment and insufficient on their own.
Swimming lessons for the whole family are also very advised, but they do not ensure safety. Parents and caregivers should also become familiar with the symptoms of drowning (you won’t typically observe splashing or flailing) and think about obtaining CPR/First Aid certified to be as prepared as possible.