While summertime means more time outdoors, it also means more visits to emergency rooms for pool-related injuries. These 5 pool safety tips can help ensure pool safety for you and your family this summer.
1. Supervision
According to the World Health Organization, in 2016, an estimated 320,000 people died from drowning and it was the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death.
In addition to checking the pool first, if your child goes missing, you should never leave your child unsupervised near a pool. Instruct babysitters and other adults about pools as a potential hazard to young children and the need for constant supervision.
Never allow another child to supervise your own at the pool. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends “touch supervision”— the supervisor should never be more than an arm’s length away from an infant or toddler that is around water.
2. Enclose Your Pool
Consider layers of protection when thinking about your pool.
Completely fence in the pool so young, curious seekers do not end up poolside unattended. Self-closing and self-latching gates (with latches out of reach for small children) can also prevent young children from getting too close.
Keep tables and chairs away from the fence to prevent climbers from scaling into the pool area. Make sure that doors, windows, and other potential entrances to the pool are well-secured and not easily opened by young children.
You might also consider placing an alarm on these exits to warn you if they’re opened. If you have an above-ground pool, make sure you remove access ladders when the pool is not in use.
Finally, consider a pool safety cover that can hold the weight of two adults, which would make sure that a child who falls onto the cover remains safe.
3. Swimming Lessons
While certainly not a substitute for diligent supervision, teaching your child swimming skills can decrease the risk of drowning.
Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons decreases risk of drowning in children between ages one and four.
4. Learn CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, is an essential safety skill when you have a pool– both for you and anyone else that is caring for your child. If your child has been submerged in water, providing CPR can save their life.
5. Diminish Health Risks
Pools are enjoyable, but they’re also filled with potential health risks. These risks not only come from other people, but also from organic material like decaying leaves, bird droppings, rainwater tainted with fungi, or dead insects and organisms.
Pool surface maintenance techniques such as skimming and skimmer cleansing with chlorine help remove decaying organisms from your pool.
Additionally, proper chlorination and disinfectants are important to decrease health hazards from swim diapers and other pool waste.
From learning CPR and placing secure barriers, to making sure surface and finish maintenance projects are up to date, you can make sure your pool is the safest one around this summer with these pool safety tips!