Pool Safety

July 24, 2008

Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental deaths, after motor vehicle accidents, in children under fourteen, and your swimming pool must be treated as a potential danger. Please take your pool seriously!

Here are some pool safety tips to ensure the safety of your child:

  • - Obviously, NEVER leave your child unattended near a pool.
  • - Think about taking a CPR class. They’re offered by most local hospitals for free.
  • - Keep a cell phone or cordless phone near the pool in case of an emergency.
  • - Make sure the supervising adult can swim.
  • - Make sure the area around the pool is a nonslip surface.
  • - Bring all the pool toys into the house once your child is done playing in the pool—he or she should not be tempted to try and reach in.
  • - Just because your child has learned how to swim does not mean she is safe. Although she may be more comfortable in the water, you should not rely on new swimmers to swim to safety.
  • - Make sure the pool chemicals are kept out of your child’s reach.

Most counties require that people construct a fence around the pool. 76% of drowning accidents happen NOT when kids are swimming, but when they are playing or walking around the pool. The fence should be at least four feet high and surround the entire pool, and make sure the latch to enter is too high for your child to reach.

These rules apply for all pools, no matter how shallow the water is. Parents should be as vigilant in respect to pool safety as they are with automobile safety. If your child is particularly interested in exploring the pool on her own, you may want to look into getting a Child Immersion Alarm from safetyturtle.com.

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Posted by AnnabelleMoore | Filed Under Dr Geary 

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