Being in the pool industry, we want to do our part to help make backyard pools as safe as they can be. With all of the drowning accidents in our state involving children, we wanted to remind our readers of a few water safety tips for their homes. Diligence is critical when it comes to keeping your loved ones safe. It is important to be mindful, safe and alert when it comes to young ones around pools.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that all residential pool and spa owners adopt water safety standards to prevent children from accessing the water when there is no adult supervision. Several tips recommended by the government to ensure pool safety precautions are as follows:
- Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch your child when he or she is in or near water
- Teach children basic water safety tips
- Keep children away from pool drains, pipes, and other openings to avoid entrapment’s
- Have a telephone close by when you or your family are using a pool or spa
- If a child is missing, look for him or her in the pool or spa first
- Share safety instructions with family, friends, and neighbors
The CPSC maintains a great website full of resources on how to maintain pool safely. Below is a safety awareness quiz that they’ve compiled to help you gain an understanding of how safe your residential pool is fitathletic.com. By asking and answering these critical questions, you can gauge the effectiveness of your water safety measures, and determine what steps need to be taken in order to protect children from drowning and submersion injuries.
Please answer the following questions:
- Do you have a fence around the perimeter of your pool or spa?
- Do you have self-closing and/or self-latching gates?
- Do you have door, gate, or pool alarms in use?
- Does your pool have anti-entrapment drain covers that are compliant with the Pool & Spa Safety Act?
- Are all of your pool and spa covers in working order?
- Has the public pool or spa you use been recently inspected to ensure it is compliant with federal, state, and local laws?
- Has someone in the family received training in CPR, first-aid, and emergency response?
- Does everyone know how to swim?
A pool is a great addition to your home for family fun, and will provide years of enjoyment, but like most things a little education goes a long way.