Your pool is a place for fun in the sun. But, it can also be a source of danger without proper safety measures in place. Whether you’re constructing a new pool or looking to increase the security around your current pool, here are some pool safety tips to help keep yourself, your family, and others safe:
Install a Barrier Around Your Pool
In most states, it’s required by law to install a barrier like a fence or a wall around your pool as a safety measure. Your barrier must reach a minimum height of 4 feet, and the side of your house can count as a side of the barrier. A thick wall of shrubbery that’s at least 4 feet in height can also count. There are several reasons for installing a barrier, including:
1. Decreased Danger
Barriers are a great way to ensure pool safety as they protect animals, children, and even adults from easily accessing your pool. Without a barrier, your pool is opened to unwelcomed creatures as well as potentially unsupervised children. The risk of injury or even drowning increases drastically without a safe and secure enclosure.
2. Added Peace of Mind
Because a fenced-in pool minimizes certain dangers, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your pool is not easily accessible and therefore likely not the source for injury or drowning. A barrier also puts your mind at ease since your pool isn’t open to unwanted or uninvited swimmers. Whether you’re trying to keep out an animal, neighborhood kids, or anyone else, barriers help provide more control over who can use your pool and who cannot.
Utilize a Pool Cover
Another form of pool safety is the pool cover. By covering your pool, you’ll see benefits like:
1. No Pool Access for People and Animals
It’s much safer for a small child or an animal to encounter a covered pool than an uncovered one. Pool covers minimize drowning incidents significantly.
2. Minimized Need to Clean
Pool covers block out falling debris like leaves and sticks. It’s much easier to sweep off the top of your pool covering than scoop things out of the water. Plus, as mentioned before, uncovered pools can often contain creatures who have drowned. By keeping yours covered, you’ll reduce the need to fish out critters who have fallen in.
Outfit Your Pool Deck with Proper Lighting and a Pool Alarm
Pool safety can increase by adding good lighting around your deck for nighttime visibility. This will help lower the chances of anyone falling into the pool if they are accessing the deck after nightfall. A pool alarm is also a good safety measure as it notifies people in the house that someone has accessed the pool deck.
Make Sure Your Family Members Know How to Swim
One of the best forms of pool safety is making sure your family members know how to swim. Swimming lessons are available for young children, even babies as young as 6 months old, and can set your kids up for a lifetime of water safety.