Guide to Swimming Pool Safety

Guide to Swimming Pool Safety

Having a pool in your yard is like a gateway to summer fun, especially when you have kids and they’re able to invite their friends over, and get some great exercise. A lot of people know the basics of pool safety because it’s just common sense, but if you haven’t taken much time to think about it beyond that – you could be leaving your family and friends vulnerable to some dangerous disasters and worse case scenarios like drowning that do happen from time to time, mostly due to negligence, which is preventable. Not only that, but pool safety is also very important during the winter months as well, as about 20% of drownings happen during winter. Let’s take a look at some essential tips you've got to consider in order to keep your kids safe at the pool.

Fence Your Pool

There are numerous reasons that you should have your pool area fenced in. Some pool-owners are reluctant to install a fence because of the aesthetics, but there are types of less intrusive fences you can use to surround your pool, for example a a glass pool fence. Not only that, but safety should be the number one priority above looks. That's why fences are mandatory for pool owners at least in Australia. Also, it's not just about protecting people, either. A fence will also help prevent animals from falling into your pool and drowning. A helpless animal is never a pleasant thing to find floating in your pool.

Winter-Proof Your Pool

Summer isn't the only time to think about pool safety. 1 out of every 5 times that somebody drowns, it happens in the wintertime. Pools are often covered in the winter, making them very difficult to escape if you fall in. A fence is the first step to take, but it doesn't do any good once somebody is on the inside of it. So, to really up the safety of your pool in the winter (or even if it's going to be unused for a while in other months), consider installing a pool net which goes over top of your pool similar to a cover, but it prevents anyone (or animals) from falling into the water. A net can go over top of your pool cover.

Alarm Your Pool

Pool alarms help you feel much safer with kids around the pool when it is unused. They work by loudly alarming you whenever a large enough mass disturbs the pool surface. This is something all parents need to use as an aid, but you still have to be aware that the best form of defence against accidents is to...

Supervise Your Kids

As a parent, you've got to be very diligent with supervising your kids when they're in the pool. That means at all times. If you've got to run inside for a few minutes, get them out of the pool if they're not old enough to be confident in their swimming abilities. Young children should never be left alone in the water; it only takes a split second for tragedy to strike. If you have kids in the house, talk to them about the basics of pool safety and how they can help prevent drowning by being an additional set of eyes and ears, and taking care to shut the gate, and never swimming alone. There's no substitute for setting boundaries and drilling the severity of pool safety into your kid's heads from a young age; you can't be too paranoid when it comes to staying safe in the water.

Use Proper Pool Signage

It’s a smart idea to find a place near your pool where you can put some simple safety signs. Anything from a reminder to not run near the pool, to a chart showing the basics of CPR, these can serve as life-saving reminders in the event of an emergency. There are often requirements for public pools to display signs, but that isn’t always the case for private pools; it’s still a good idea, nonetheless.

Study Up

This applies to you and your children alike. You've got to learn proper pool safety in order to teach it. You should also educate yourself on how to do CPR, or better yet take CPR classes, and have your children do the same. It only takes one afternoon of your time, and what you learn can save a life. You never know when these skills will come in handy, either. Chances are you’ll never need to use CPR at your own pool, but what if you did? Or what if you’re out at a restaurant and somebody is choking? Wouldn't it be a good feeling to be able to help them? If you have a pool in your yard, swimming lessons are important for everyone in the home to consider, even if it’s just to learn a strong foundation of the core skills.

 

Kids Alive - Do The Five

In Australia, a popular pool safety program,Kids Alive - Do the Five; created by Pool Werx and the popular Olympic swim coach Laurie Lawrence teaches some lessons for those who own swimming pools in their backyards, or when visiting homes with pools, or even community pools.

Do the Five - is a short list of some very important tasks for the pool owner.The five things are listed above. It's meant to be sung, as a song - with an upbeat rhythm. It's a great teaching tool for young children - and for parents.