Pool Safety

-       General Safety Tips

• ·         Install safety enclosure around the swimming pool with self-latching gates
• ·         Make sure children are supervised at all times when they are within the pool enclosure
• ·         Ensure life-saving equipment such as throw ropes, shepherds crooks, and first aid kits are readily accessible
• ·         Learn CPR and have signs posted to remind correct methods
• ·         Never swim alone, whatever your age or skill
• ·         Install motion alarms to prevent accidental drowning when the pool is not in use

-       Electrical Safety

• ·         Before servicing electrical equipment, turn off all equipment at the circuit breaker
• ·         Follow directions and instructions supplied by the manufacturer
• ·         When lightning is in the area, do not swim
• ·         Place electrical appliances at least 10 feet away from the pool or spa

-       Pool Safety and Children                The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends these                   tips regarding children: Never leave your children alone in or near the pool, even for a moment. An adult who knows CPR should actively supervise children at all times. Practice touch supervision with children younger than 5 years. This means that the adult is within an arm's length of the child at all times.

• You must put up a fence to separate your house from the pool. Most young children who drown in pools wander out of the house and fall into the pool. Install a fence at least 4 feet high around all 4 sides of the pool. This fence will completely separate the pool from the house and play area of the yard. Use gates that self-close and self-latch, with latches higher than your children's reach.
• Keep rescue equipment (such as a shepherd's hook or life preserver) and a telephone by the pool.
• Do not use air-filled "swimming aids" as a substitute for approved life vests.
• Remove all toys from the pool after use so children aren't tempted to reach for them.
• After the children are done swimming, secure the pool so they can't get back into it.
• A power safety cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) may add to the protection of your children but should not be used in place of the fence between your house and the pool. Even fencing around your pool and using a power safety cover will not prevent all drownings.¹

            According to the CDC from its factsheet on water-related injuries, “Among children ages 1 to 4 years, most drownings                     occur in residential swimming pools. Most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been                 out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time.  Barriers, such as pool fencing,             can help prevent children from gaining access to the pool area without caregivers’ awareness.”²

1)      American Academy of Pediatrics. 13 July 2009
 Available from URL: http://www.aap.org/family/tipppool.htm
2)      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. 14 July 2009
Available from URL: http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Water-Safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.htm