Pool Safety Tips for a Safe Summer

What better way to beat the mid-summer heat than with a dip in the pool? Though, if you have a pool, or are looking to add one to your back yard, there are a number of pool safety tips to keep in mind to make sure swimming activities are enjoyed safely.  

Install pool safety devices  

The first thing you should do is make sure you have a pool safety fence to keep small children away when the area is unsupervised. According to CDC pool safety data, fencing around the pool could prevent more than 50 percent of all swimming pool drowning incidents among young children.

Pool fence latches should be self-closing and the slats should be four-feet tall and no more than four inches apart. This will keep curious toddlers from squeezing their way into what should be a restricted space.

You may also want to consider a pool alarm – which is like a motion detector for the pool’s surface – to alert you if your kids (or your neighbors) are using the pool without supervision

Pool covers are another important element in family safety (and keeping the pool pristine). Make sure to get a cover that meets American Society for Testing and Materials weigh-bearing standards, which means it must be able to hold a minimum of 485 pounds per five square feet.

The cover should also be anchored to the pool deck to prevent sagging, so it doesn’t become a secondary drowning hazard for children.

Eliminate water hazards 

Once the exterior is secured, you’ll want to focus on what’s inside the pool—the water!  

Clean water is key to a safe summertime swim. You’ll want to regularly test your pool’s pH level (it should come in between 7.2 and 7.6) and ensure the water is clear, never cloudy. Remove any debris—like leaves, bugs and grass—daily, and add chlorine regularly to sanitize the water.

You should also routinely check your pool drains and suction covers. If they’re cracked or, worse yet, missing, they need to be replaced. Some older drains can cause younger kids to become trapped in a pool.

Check your drains’ compliance with federal pool safety requirements; if they’re not up to snuff, keep swimmers away until they’re replaced.

Survey the swimmers 

An easily overlooked element in all of this is that one of the most important aspects of pool safety is…you!

Always be keenly aware of activity around the swimming pool and never leave young children unattended; any child under the age of 5 should always be within arm’s reach. A child can drown in less time than it takes for you to answer the phone, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Of course, everyone deserves a little bit of downtime during pool time, so it may be useful to rotate lifeguarding duties between the adults. Make sure the guard has a first aid kit, a phone and life-saving flotation devices within reach while on duty. It is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with basic rescue procedures like CPR in case you ever need to use them.

Clearly, there are a number of pool safety rules and measures to keep in mind before you can enjoy your backyard oasis. But once you have all your bases covered, you can concentrate on the most important part of pool ownership: having fun!

Guest blogger Pauline Hammerbeck is an editor for The Allstate blog, which helps people prepare for the unpredictability of life. 

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