Safeguard your Pool and Spa Tub--What can Parents do to Prevent these Accidents?

A safety checklist developed by Safe Kids Worldwide (www.usa.safekids.org/water), and based partially on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s reports on the subject, suggests the following:

Safety Checklist for Adults and Parents:

1. First and foremost, never take your eyes off your children. Someone should always be designated as a “water watcher.” Don’t depend on life guards. 2. While supervising, stay alert and avoid distractions like reading or talking on the phone. 3. Teach children to swim after age four. 4. Teach children to tread water, float, and get out of the pool. 5. Tell children to stay away from pool and spa tub drains. 6. Tie up long hair to prevent drain entanglement. 7. Don’t relay on water wings or other inflatables. If your child cannot swim, keep him within reach. 8. No diving in water less than nine feet deep. 9. If you find a loose, broken or missing drain cover, fix it or notify the owner/manager of the pool. 10. Keep gates to the pool area latched. 11. Learn infant and child CPR. 12. Know where to find and how to use lifesaving equipment at the pool.

Safety Checklist for Pool and Hot Tub Owners

1. Erect fencing at least five feet high on all sides of the pool. 2. Install self-closing, self-latching gates on your fence. 3. Use a lockable latch and keep the area locked when not in use. 4. Do not prop the gate open. 5. When hot tub is not in use, secure it with a locked cover. 6. Place alarms on doors and windows with access to pool and spa area. 7. Keep lifesaving equipment by the pool or tub.

Entrapment Protection

1. Install anti-entrapment drain covers. 2. Equip the pump with a safety vacuum release system (SVRS), which is an emergency sensor that shuts off the suction automatically if the drain becomes blocked. 3. For new pools and tubs, install at least two drains or use a no-drain circulation system. 4. Replace drain covers immediately if they are broken or damaged.

Nancy Baker's Message to Lawmakers, and How You Can Help

Beyond the kinds of actions you can take on your own, you may also wish to support legislation that seeks to improve pool and spa safety. Graeme Baker’s mother, Nancy, is now lobbying Congress to ensure that mandatory standards replace the voluntary ones that were in place when her child died. She argues that these voluntary standards are haphazardly enforced and inconsistently communicated to pool and tub owners.

Nancy Baker and former Secretary of State James Baker are supporting legislation proposed by U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman (D-FL) which would provide incentive grants to those states that make the use of pool and spa safety devices mandatory. Currently only four states have laws requiring barriers around pool areas. It is notable that no state has a comprehensive set of safety laws that incorporate barrier requirements and safety devices.

Please contact your Congressional representatives if you wish to support this effort.

But most of all, keep a close watch on your children this summer, and make sure that the season of laughter and play stays that way.

Page 2 of 2 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 | Next