Swimming pool safety saves lives
Updated December 23, 2009
In the summer, swimming pool hazards become a risk to the well being and safety of young children. Every year, children drown or become physically incapacitated due to injuries received in swimming pool accidents.
To prevent an accident from happening in your pool, the following steps should be followed, some as directed by state laws and municipal ordinances, others as dictated by common sense:
- All pools must have a 6-foot tall fence surrounding the pool equipped with self-latching, spring activated gates.
- No child, no matter how proficient a swimmer, should be left unattended.
- The adult left in charge of watching children in or around a swimming pool should be a proficient swimmer.
- Do not allow anyone to dive head first into the shallow end of the pool.
- If your pool is equipped with a diving board, do not allow swimmers to engage in contests to dive the farthest out in the pool. The rise between the deep end and the shallow end of the pool bottom is steep. The possibility of diving headfirst into the rise of the pool bottom is real, resulting in paralyzing injuries or drowning.
- The storage of pool chemicals should be in a secure, ventilated area, away from the reach of children.
- If your pool cleaning and/or maintenance is done by a contracted pool cleaner, make sure that the gate/fence perimeter is secure after they leave.
