10 Swimming Pool Safety Tips to Keep Your Loved Ones Safe
Swimming pools are so much fun! But they also can be a hazard if they’re not properly maintained or monitored, especially in households with small children. You can prevent accidents and keep your loved ones safe by setting rules for pool use, maintaining your pool properly, and by taking proper precautions through small household changes. These pool safety tips can help.
1. Keep Little Ones Close When in the Pool
Never leave your little ones alone in the pool, even if they know how to swim. It takes only seconds for a child to drown, and if you’re not watching, you could miss something. Stay in the water, and when you leave, do it together. When swimming, keep your little one within arm’s reach. This way, you’ll be able to reach your child if you need to, and they can reach you if they find themselves in trouble.
2. Establish Household Pool Safety Tips and Rules
Establish pool safety tips and rules that control who uses the pool and under what circumstances. Keep the rules simple, straightforward and easy to remember. Examples:
- Never swim without a grownup in the pool.
- Never leave the gate to the pool open.
- No diving.
- No running around the pool.
Remind your kids of the rules regularly to help them remember them and to reinforce them. The more you talk about rules with your kids, the easier it will be for them to remember their responsibilities. Be consistent in your enforcement of the rules, so your kids will be clear and understand that you really mean it.
3. Don’t Let Anyone Swim Alone
Swimming alone is dangerous, even for adults. Anyone can have an accident in the pool. Encourage everyone in your household to swim with a partner to stay safe.
4. Install and Maintain a Fence
Every pool should have a secure fence and gate that prevent people from wandering into the pool area. However, if your pool doesn’t have such a feature, install one as soon as you can. If the gate doesn’t close securely or latch automatically upon closing, this also can pose a hazard. Work with a fence installer to keep your pool secure.
5. Get Creative With Covers and Alarms
If you live with a baby or toddler, you’ll have to be doubly alert until your child is old enough to know how important it is not to go in the pool unsupervised. There are many different types of pool covers that can be used to keep your child out of the pool, including nets and hard covers. The wide variety will make it easier to find a cover that fits your budget.
Don’t want to buy a cover? Alarms are another option. There are many alarms on the market, including alarms that trigger when the door or gate to the pool is opened, alarms that detect changes in the water, and even some alarms that can detect when your child gets wet. Pick the type of alarm that works for you.
6. Maintain Your Pool and Keep It Up to Date
Your pool equipment should always be well-maintained, especially drains and drain covers. Drains, in particular, have been responsible for drownings and near drownings over the years, because children have become stuck at the bottom of the pool due to suction and pressure. Being prepared and maintaining your pool equipment can help.
Old pool drains were flat, but modern pool drains are curved, which prevents your child from forming a seal between the bottom of the pool and the drain. If your pool drain is older, it may not have this curved drain cover feature. At GPS Pools, we perform inspections and can replace older pool drain covers with a newer curved cover. If your pool drain cover should become broken or removed, have it repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
Modern pools also have a safety vacuum-release system that disables the pump and eliminates suction when something becomes trapped on the drain. We can install these important safety devices as well, so contact us today to make an appointment.
7. Sign Up Your Kids for Swimming Lessons and Teach Them Pool Safety Tips
Swimming lessons give your children the strength and skills to protect themselves in the water. Many swim instructors start by teaching small children how to float on their backs and cry for help in an emergency. Sign up your child for swimming instructions, especially the basic instructions that teach survival skills. Some programs even teach babies to float in water, so look for a reputable program in your area.
8. Keep Your Pool Properly Clean
Pool sanitation is another facet of pool safety. Have your pool cleaned regularly by a pool professional, or clean your pool with a robotic pool cleaner. Do your part to keep bacteria and microorganisms out of your pool.
9. Pool Safety Tips Don’t Exclude the Pets!
Pets can be in just as much danger around the pool as people. Not all animals are natural swimmers, and some will enter the pool without recognizing the danger. You can protect your pet from drowning with the same methods that you would use to protect your little one. By using a combination of a pool cover and/or an alarm in the pool, you can protect your pet from drowning if they should accidentally fall in.
10. Keep Life-Saving Equipment on Hand
Keep life jackets, life-saving swimming rings and a long arm for reaching into your pool on hand. Show the babysitter, your spouse and other adult members of your family where these tools are kept to ensure that everyone in the family knows how to reach these items if they’re needed.
Need Help Maintaining Your Pool? Contact GPS Pools
Keeping up with pool maintenance is important for the safety of your family members. GPS Pools does more than distribute helpful swimming pool safety tips! We help homeowners maintain clean pool water and keep their pool equipment up to date.
To make an appointment for a pool remodel, safety upgrade or pool-cleaning service, contact us at (813) 345-8596 for our Land O’Lakes location; (813) 948-9091 to reach our Lutz office; or 813-632-0050 for our new Tampa office.