By D.L. Anscombe
When it comes to safety, there is a big difference between relax and lax. We asked our safety experts a number of key questions to help arm you and your family with a better knowledge of precautions that you can take to ensure a safe pool environment. By adding layers of protection, you can rest assured that your loved ones are as protected as they should be.
The Most Important Things for Backyard Safety
What is the most important thing that a pool owner can do to enhance backyard safety?
TG: Education! To prevent accidents, you must be vigilant. Study safety information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Consumer Product Safety Commission or the American Red Cross. You must supervise children in the pool and spa at all times.
DS: Parents should get a professional to teach their children how to swim at the earliest age. Even if kids can only doggie paddle to the edge and hang on, lives can be saved.
BE: There are three main forms of pool defenses: alarms, fences and safety covers. Choose a form of protection that is right for your lifestyle and one that you will use. Otherwise, your pool security becomes just a decoration.
BL: Teach children about the dangers of water. There is a direct correlation between pool use and accidents. When more people are coming and going, the gate is opened and closed frequently, and there is a greater opportunity for an unsafe gap in safety of the perimeter. Youngsters are observant and want to participate. You have to take steps to protect children at all times.
SB: Next to adult supervision, a pool fence barrier that is not climbable is most important. By adding layers of protection, you can try to create a fail-safe system.
What to Look for in Barrier Protection
What should a pool owner look for in barrier protection?
DS: A fence should meet a minimum height of 4-ft., with no handholds or footholds, and with self-closing and self-latching gates that are never propped open.
BE: Consider a pool safety net, which is specifically designed as a barrier to help protect children from exposed open water. Like a large tennis racket, the net is stretched over the pool and anchored with flush-mounted fasteners. Once installed, one adult can easily put it on and take it off, but a child cannot. With any safety device, look for products that meet American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards to be assured of quality.
BL: Removable fences and barriers are lifesavers, but they are only as good as the home's least dependable pool user. Everyone must remember to reinstall the fence or to fully latch the gate. Accidents occur in spite of fully adequate barriers.
SB: A perimeter fence provides safety for neighborhood kids, while a pool fence protects the children living in the home. It is a barrier to the water, and the mesh prevents climbing. Before buying a perimeter fence, check the tensile strength of the mesh; you want it to be able to withstand a 200-pound, lateral force. Also, look for a fence with reinforced poles and one with a locking mechanism that is impervious to the elements.
All About Alarms
What should people know about alarms?
TG: Every pool should have a pool alarm or an automatic safety cover. With the push of a button, an automatic cover closes, decreasing the chance of entry. I recommend a combination of two or three alarms.
BL: There are four types of pool alarms in the ASTM standard: surface, subsurface, pool perimeter and personal immersion alarms. Surface and subsurface alarms detect motion in the water. Perimeter alarms detect when someone crosses a beam between the home and pool. Surface, subsurface and pool perimeter alarms guard a pool when it is vacated. A personal alarm, activated by a caregiver when the child does not have permission to be in water, works with all types of water hazards-at home and away from home. It is a last layer of protection, an indispensable one when active one to three-year-olds and backyard pool users mix.
SB: Pool alarms are a good backup to a fence. But, relying on a surface alarm may provide a false sense of security. A child can walk down the steps and never disturb the water enough to sound the alarm. A personal immersion alarm works better.
Also, a home's security system often includes a chime feature that sounds if a door is opened. Use it. Install locks high on the doors and keep them locked to help block access to the pool area.
Making Drains Safer
What about pool and hot tub/spa drains?
DS: There are products that protect swimmers if an arm or a leg becomes stuck against the drain, particularly in shallow water. The devices sound an alarm and turn off the pump, freeing the person. Hair can cause another problem. If a swimmer's long hair is sucked into the drain, it can become tied into a knot from the swirling water. To prevent such a problem, install an anti-hair entrapment drain cover.
Other Safety Suggestions
What else is important to ensure safety in and around the pool?
TG: Proper storage of chemicals is important. I recommend one storage shed for the yard equipment and a separate one for the pool equipment. When pool chemicals are put in an all-purpose shed with gas, oil and garden tools, it is an accident waiting to happen.
Many flotation devices are extremely dangerous, including the most popular ones, water wings that slide up onto the biceps. They can easily deflate or slip off. Parents often use these devices as a crutch and become overconfident about their safety. If a child cannot swim, parents should insist that the youngster wear a Coast Guard-approved personal-flotation device, one that will not come off. Put it on and leave it on.
Diving boards and backyard pools only mix when they have enough depth and enough distance from the end of the board to safely accommodate a diving board.
DS: Slides can also be dangerous. Children can fall off the ladder, or, while horsing around, may fall off the side of the slide.
Set pool rules that are recommended by safety professionals, such as No Running, No Jumping, No Diving and Do Not Swim Alone. Also, keep electrical appliances away from the pool.
BE: Do not assume that your child is protected from the risk of drowning because he or she can swim. Never assume that someone is watching your child; always designate an adult to watch children in the water.
SB: Children need swimming survival instruction. Adults should know how to swim and should become certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Keep toys and floating objects outside of the fenced-in pool area. Do not use chlorine dispensers with ducks on top. They attract children to the water.
Do not place chairs or tables near a fence. A child could use them to climb into the pool area.
Poolside Protection Accessories
What type of safety equipment should be kept poolside?
TG: Ideally, pool owners should keep a hard-wired telephone outside in a weatherproofed box. You need to know where the telephone is, and you should not rely on a cellular or cordless phone that might be misplaced. At the very least, identify a spot for a cordless phone, make sure that its battery is charged and keep it in the designated location.
DS: You should keep a shepherd's crook with wing nuts, instead of snaps and Coast Guard-approved ring buoys by the pool.
BE: A poolside CPR poster that explains the process can be used as a support tool if CPR is needed.
Meet the Experts
Tom Griffiths (Director of Aquatics at Penn State University)
Tom Griffiths has been with Penn State University for 17 years. He has a B.S. from Southern Connecticut University and an M.A. and an Ed.D. from the University of Maryland. Dr. Griffiths has written four books and is an international water safety consultant.
David Stingl (Managing Partner at Stingl Products)
David Stingl is the inventor of the Stingl Switch, a device designed to prevent suction-entrapment injuries and fatalities. He previously ran McLean Pool and Spa for 15 years before becoming managing partner at Stingl Products.
Blair Esson (CEO of Katchakid®, Inc.)
Blair Esson is the creator of his company's pool safety net, and he has been with Katchakid®, Inc. for the past 30 years. Mr. Esson has shepherded the product's growth and acceptance in four continents.
Bob Lyons (President of Terrapin Communications, Inc.)
Bob Lyons began his career at Terrapin Communications, Inc. in 1998. The founder and former CEO of Sky Wave Communications, Ltd. graduated with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering. Dr. Lyons won the Vehicular Technology Society Best System Paper Award in 2003, and he is a member of the ASTM committee on pool alarms.
Steven Berger (President of Life Saver Pool Fence Systems, Inc.)
Steven Berger has been in the child safety field for a decade. He is experienced in pool alarms, doors, gates, infrared motion sensors, swimming survival and child and infant CPR. Mr. Berger is a member of the American Red Cross and has received numerous awards for his marketing and sales seminars.