Now that summer is here, families the world over are opening their pools and preparing for a few months of fun in the sun. But despite how much you might enjoy your pool, it’s important that you always remember that a swimming pool can be just as deadly as it is refreshing.
Each year, children and adults get injured and sometimes die as a result of recklessness in bodies of water or drowning. But with the right safety protocols and smart enjoyment, you can ensure that everyone who swims in your pool is safe and able to play another day.
To show you how this can be done, here are three safety rules to make for your home swimming pool.
Secure The Pool Area At All Times
One of the best and easiest ways you can keep someone from falling into your pool and getting hurt or killed is to secure the pool area at all times. To best do this, you’ll want to ensure that you have the right type of fencing and gate system all around your pool.
According to Emily Ferron, a contributor to Safety.com, fences surrounding pools should ideally be at least five feet tall. No one should be able to squeeze through the fence, and there also shouldn’t be any way for people to climb over the fence.
As for the gate that you’ll use to enter and exit the enclosure of the pool, it should be self-closing and self-latching. Teach your children and anyone else using your pool to always ensure that the gate is closed and latched once they’ve gone through it.
No One Swims Alone
Especially for kids or teens, it’s wise to make a rule that no one is allowed to swim in the pool alone. For some, this rule might mean that someone else needs to be in the water with you, which would be similar to using the buddy system. In other situations, you might just want someone else to be around the pool while the person is in the water.
If the rule you choose to go with just requires someone else to be around, the Red Cross advises that you ensure that person knows their responsibilities as the water watcher. They should be there to ensure that the person in the water is safe.
Put Your Phone Down
As a part of being a supervisor of those in the swimming pool, it’s important to you have no distractions to keep you from watching what’s going on in the water. Most importantly, Peg Rosen and Pamela Kramer, contributors to Parents.com, advise that you make a rule that all phones are to be put away when supervising swimmers.
To help everyone who uses your pool stay safe, consider using the tips mentioned above to create some safety rules that you follow at your house.
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