If you’re considering hiring a swimming pool contractor to install an above-ground or in-ground pool, you’re probably wondering about safety, particularly the safety of children in your home or neighborhood.While it’s true that improperly secured or poorly supervised pools can provide an inviting danger to children, recent data released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows that a third of as many children under age 5 — or about 115 annually — drown from other hazards around the home as drown in swimming pools.
Not including pools, about two-thirds of child drowning deaths in the home occur in bathtubs. Other hazards include 5-gallon buckets, toilets, coolers, sinks, fish tanks and landscape ponds. This is not to say that pools are risk-free. According to the CPSC, about 280 children under age 5 drown in swimming pools each year. These deaths are largely preventable.
The CPSC recommends taking the following steps to keep your swimming pool safe:
- Install physical barriers, such as a fence or wall, completely around the pool to limit access. Fences and walls should be at least 4-feet high and installed completely around the pool. Gates should be self-closing and self-latching. Make certain the latch is high enough to be out of reach of small children.
- Closely supervise young children, and be prepared in case of an emergency.
- If a child is missing from anywhere in the house, always look in the pool first.
- Supervise children while they are in or around the pool. Knowing how to swim doesn’t make a child drown-proof.
- Never use flotation devices as a substitute for adult supervision.
- For aboveground pools, secure or remove steps and ladders when the pool is not in use.
- Be cautious of drains, and never use a pool or spa with a missing or broken drain cover. The powerful suction from a pool or hot tub drain can grab a swimmer and hold them under the water. Consider installing a Safety Vacuum Release System (SVRS) , that will automatically shut off the pool pump if the drain becomes blocked.
- If someone does become trapped, shut down the pump and pry a hand between the drain and the trapped swimmer’s body to break the suction seal.
- Have a professional swimming pool contractor regularly inspect your pool or spa for entrapment or entanglement hazards.
For more information on swimming pool, spa or hot tub safety, visit CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov, or call (800) 638-2772.
This entry was posted
on Saturday, May 12th, 2007 at 12:44 pm and is filed under Swmiming Pools.
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