According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accidental drowning is the leading cause of death among children between 1 and 4 years old. Most of these happen in home swimming pools.
Prevention is always better than a cure. That’s why in this article, we will be sharing with you 10 essential pool safety tips to make sure that you and your loved ones don’t become a statistic.
10 Essential Pool Safety Tips
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Surround your swimming pool with a pool safety fence
One of the easiest ways to keep your swimming pool safe for your kids and pets is to install a pool safety fence around the entire pool’s perimeter. A mesh pool safety fence fitted with a self-latching and self-closing feature measuring about 4-feet high is the best option for a number of reasons.
First, the mesh design makes it more difficult for your pets to squeeze their way through your pool safety fence. The mesh design also allows you to train some vines to grow around it so that it doesn’t look too much of an eyesore.
It’s also tall enough so that your kids won’t be able to reach the latch and find a way to open it. At the same time, it’s low enough so that it will be easy for you to open it.
The self-closing and self-latching feature comes in very handy as well. It helps you make sure that your pool fence is closed at all times.
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Attach a safety cover over your pool
During the winter months, opt to choose a winter pool cover that doubles up as a pool safety cover as well. This way, you’re not only able to protect your swimming pool from freeze damage but also keep your kids and pets safe.
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Install a pool safety alarm
Even though you installed a pool safety fence, it’s only a matter of time when your smart kids and pets will find their way to get around your pool fence. A pool safety alarm will notify you immediately if your kid or pet somehow finds their way near your pool.
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Inspect your pool and pool deck for cracks
Even though you’ve properly winterized your pool, it is still a good idea to carefully inspect your inground pool’s lining and pool deck for cracks. Not only do these make your swimming pool look less appealing. These cracks can also cause unwanted injuries to happen to you and others that use your pool.
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Opt to use non-slip materials on your in-ground pool decking
Slipping is one of the common causes of accidents that happen around a swimming pool. That said, it’s extremely important to make sure that your pool deck is made of a non-slip material.
If you have the funds, you can choose to hire a pool builder to renovate your pool deck by using a rubber surface like Pebble-flex. Aside from being nonslippery, this type of pool deck material does not absorb heat from the sun in the way that cement pool deck do, giving everyone one less reason to run as they make their way to your pool.
A more economical alternative is to apply a nonslippery coating onto your existing pool deck. Spray-on coatings are made of a special type of cement blend that adds a texturized cement surface once it’s applied to your pool deck. The texturized cement coating adds to the aesthetic appeal of your pool deck. It also increases the traction of your pool deck which, in turn, lowers the risk of having a slippery pool deck.
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Make sure that your pool ladder is the right size
As a rule of thumb, each step of your pool ladder should be at least 3 inches wide. Of course, the wider the steps of your pool ladder, the safer it will be, especially if you have small children.
Also, it’s important to make sure that the handrail of your pool’s ladder is thin enough so that it will be very easy for a small child to grasp and hold on as he or she steps down from the pool. This will prevent them from falling into the pool as a result of losing their grip on the handrail.
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Make sure that everyone knows how to swim
It is very important to make sure that everyone in your family knows how to swim if you have a swimming pool at home. Not only will your kids have the skills they need so that they minimize their risk from drowning. Enrolling your kids in age-appropriate swimming lessons also gives them the opportunity to make new friends.
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Never leave your children unattended
Even if your kids already know how to swim, it’s always a good idea to make sure that you keep a close eye on them when they are in the pool area.
If you’re hosting a pool party, you can take turns with your friends watching over the kids. That way, the kids are never left to swim alone, and you don’t miss out too much on all the fun.
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Check your swimming pool’s water chemistry regularly
You might be wondering what does your pool’s water have to do with keeping your swimming pool safe? A lot!
While the chemicals in your pool can help keep it clean and clear, swimming in a pool that’s got an imbalanced water chemistry can cause you and others to suffer from earaches, rashes, and other types of adverse reactions.
Making it a habit of testing your pool water’s chemistry levels will not only ensure that your swimming pool remains crystal clear and safe for everyone to swim and have fun in your swimming pool.
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Be always prepared
Accidents happen when you least expect them, so it’s very important that you’re always prepared because as a pool owner, you are responsible for the safety of everyone that uses your swimming pool.
In addition to learning how to swim, it’s a good idea to enroll in some first aid classes. Here, you will learn essential and basic first aid like CPR and getting someone drowning from your pool out from the pool safely.
Make sure that you also keep a fully-stocked first aid kit in your home that has everything to treat common poolside injuries like cuts, cramps, and burns from using your outdoor grill. Teach everyone in your home where the first aid kit is so that anyone can easily find it when the need for it arises.