After congenital disabilities, drowning is the leading cause of death in children, especially those under age 5. It is also a leading cause of accidental deaths for kids ages 5 through 19. Despite all we know about its prevention, nearly 900 infants and toddlers drown yearly in residential swimming pools, and even more end up in hospitals after near-drowning incidents in pools, oceans, lakes, bathtubs, and even buckets of water.
Of course, most homeowners mainly install a pool in their backyards to provide easy entertainment for their kids and beat the heat, especially during the summer. Unfortunately, water has no mercy, and accidents do happen. For this reason, families must observe best safety practices in and around water.
As a responsible adult, you must ensure everyone stays safe around swimming pools, especially children. But preventing pool accidents involves more than just keeping a watchful eye on kids. The best way to ensure kids’ water safety is to ensure they have appropriate swimming accessories (such as life jackets or arm floats). In addition, it is best to implement multiple layers of protection such as safety barriers, pool alarms, pool covers, regular equipment inspections, swim lessons, and CPR training (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) for kids. These will considerably reduce the risk of accidental drowning.
Here’s how you can keep kids and pets safe in and around water or prevent them from entering the pool when no one is around.
1) Implement barriers around the pool
Safety barriers such as pool gates and fences are your first defense in preventing kids from entering the pool. Install a four-sided fence with self-closing and self-latching gates to keep children away from the pool area when they shouldn’t be swimming. A proper pool fence should be see-through and stands at four feet with vertical slats spaced at no wider than four inches to prevent toddlers from slipping through.
2) Install immersion pool alarms
Beyond a pool fence, pool and gate alarms can provide some added safety around a pool. Immersion pool alarms detect movement in the pool water. This device sounds like a piercing siren when someone or something enters the water giving adults ample time to intervene. It can be activated when the pool is not in use and deactivated when it is time to use it.
3) Make use of swim aids & flotation devices
Floatation devices such as life jackets or arm floats (swimmies) ensure that kids stay afloat if they get into trouble or deep water. It is also great for helping beginning swimmers deal with the fear of water. Although floatation devices are helpful, they should never be used as an alternative to adult supervision.
4) Ensure the pool area is always supervised by an adult
Constant vigilance is key to preventing accidental drowning in residential pools. No safety measure should be put as an alternative to adult supervision. It only takes a second for a child to go down quietly and start drowning, so don’t let anything distract you. Make sure to avoid phone calls and consuming alcohol.
Additional safety pool tips:
5) Keep toys away from the pool area as kids might trip over them and fall into the water
6) Get your kids into swimming lessons and make them familiar with performing CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)
7) Locate and keep emergency and safety equipment by the pool
8) Ensure that you know the water depth. Your kids should never dive into water of unknown depth or one that’s too shallow
9) Teach your children not to run or push others around the pool as there is a high risk of injury
10) Let your children know they must obey the lifeguard’s directions and shouldn’t go into the pool without adult supervision
Contact Sunseeker Pools
Sunseeker Pools are a leading Sunshine Coast pool builder, specialising in the construction of:
As a trusted name in the pool building industry, Sunseeker Pools can also ensure that your new pool complies with all pool safety requirements, by erecting pool safety fences and more. Call our team today on 0421 906 162.