Is your pool a safe place for children?
- January 21, 2015
- Pool Safety and Health,
All good mommies and daddies want to take care of their babies. They want to protect them from harm's way at all costs, even when it comes to the fun stuff. There are special ways to pad your backyard, as you would child proof any other part of your home. In practically no time at all, you can make little adjustments to keep your kin safe and sound while swimming.
Get rid of these items
Take a good look around your backyard. It's a free and simple way to size up the safety of your pool. Keep an eye for the following items, and remove them if you see them:
- Any electronics
- Food or alcohol
- Tools, i.e. shovels, hammers
- Smaller toys that can pose as choking hazards
- Anything else that should be out of reach of children.
It's a good idea to do a sweep of the area before and after each swim to make sure these items aren't laying around. Because pools are typically used by family members who are all different ages, it can be easy to forget that all of this stuff isn't safe for younger boys and girls.
Once you've cleaned the backyard, it's time to look to see if you have certain features that can prevent accidents that usually result in injury. Do you have an outdoor shower? It may be time to invest in one, because rinsing off before a swim is vital to keeping everyone healthy.
Do you have safety features?
If your kids have been getting sick more often, it may be because they aren't showering before swimming. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, waterborne disease breaks out from pathogens in the water.
In other words, dirt and fecal matter that linger on the skin might contaminate the water and make others become ill. No parent wants their loved ones to get sick, which is why an outdoor shower may be a worthwhile investment.
Aside from a shower, scope out your backyard to see if you have one of the following pool features, which can promote a safe environment:
- A functioning drain cover
- Gate with a lock
- Markers for water depth
- An alarm that sounds when the gate is open
- A cover for the surface of the water.
Of course, it's important to ensure that all of the pool's parts are working right, because it's a sum of its parts. Call Fort Worth, San Diego or Phoenix pool service professionals if you need someone to balance the chemicals, or to replace or install any features.
Why pool safety matters
Perhaps the most sobering truth about swimming pools is that they can be a hazard to your loved ones. The CDC confirmed that each day, 10 people die from unintentional drowning, two of whom are under the age of 14. Of those who survive drowning, more than half of them need to be hospitalized and treated for injuries.
Let these tragedies serve as a reminder to keep your pool clear of hazards and a safe place for your children to play. More information on pool safety can be found on the CDC's website.