Importance of Water Safety When Buying a Pool

The addition of a pool is a wonderful way to bring value and fun to your home. A pool can easily become your family’s favorite gathering place as well as being a spot to bring friends together. The attraction of a pool is magnetic, especially for children. That’s why it’s vital to keep safety guidelines in mind. 

Factors that Contribute to Pool Accidents

Statistics suggest that most pool drownings and injuries happen to children and young adults. These groups are most likely to underestimate the dangers of a pool and overestimate their ability to address these risks. Most children who are injured or drowned in a pool are left unsupervised or were somehow able to gain unauthorized access to the pool. Numbers suggest that young adults most often suffer spinal injuries as a result of diving into a backyard pool that is too shallow for such activities. 

Institute Pool Rules

While it might seem like a shame to have to create rules around such a fun activity, doing so can prevent injury and even death. Make certain that everyone who uses the pool understands whether or not diving is an appropriate activity. Unless the pool has a depth greater than five feet, chances are good that diving should never be allowed. Tell users that only feet first entries are allowed in your pool. Moreover, children and young adults should not be permitted to utilize the pool without supervision. Inexperienced swimmers should have flotation devices on hand. Inflatable toys typically don’t provide the right kind of support in the water for a novice swimmer, so make sure that kids have appropriate flotation devices. 

Also, never use your pool if you don’t have rescue equipment. Life rings and life hooks can be indispensable in an emergency and can literally save a life.

Fence It In

Most municipalities have established rules for fence height to ensure safety. Check with your city before installing a fence to make certain that it will meet all of the requirements. Often, a fence is your best protection against an accidental drowning. Fences are key particularly when small children are in residence. The American Academy of Pediatrics has published findings that say small children can drown within 30 seconds. Most often, they do so silently, without splashing or crying out. Clearly, a fence is a must have pool accessory. Even if you don’t have young kids in your house, a fence is still advisable. Some child drowning accidents occur when a child sneaks into a neighbor’s unfenced backyard pool.

Swimming Lessons and CPR

Enrolling a child in swimming lessons at a young age is an excellent way to introduce them to the concepts of water safety as well as basic survival techniques. In these classes, children learn to both enjoy and respect the water. Nonetheless, even a child who has had swimming lessons should never be allowed to swim unsupervised.

Adults and children should take a CPR class before beginning use of the backyard pool. Most of these courses require only a few hours of your time, and some of them are even tailored to make the learning easier for children. Getting CPR certification can literally save your life or your child’s.

Establish Expectations for Behavior

Running and pushing next to a pool is never a good idea. The deck beside the pool can be very slippery, causing falls, sprains and other injuries. Furthermore, such behavior might cause someone to fall into the pool, putting them at risk for a host of injuries. Horseplay in the pool can be a lot of fun, but only within established limits. Stress that no one should ever be held under water and that no one should be tossed around in the pool to prevent the risk of head injuries. 

Take Extra Safety Precautions

Always carry a cell phone or cordless phone out to the pool when it’s in use. Seconds can count in an emergency, and you’ll want to be able to call for help immediately. You might also want to consider installing an underwater alarm or surface wave sensor to provide you with notification of unauthorized access to your pool.

Author Bio

Bob Quigly is a landscaping and family fun enthusiast who writes on a variety of blogs about above ground swimming pools inflatable pools from BackyardOcean.com. Visit their website here http://www.backyardocean.com/Above-Ground-Pools-s/116.html