Pool safety is not something you can treat as an option. Unfortunately, many accidents happen every summer and the sole reason is lack of safety precautions in family swimming pools nationwide. The basic part of the pool, like the pool drain, pool fence, and pool cover may cause tragic drowning accidents without proper safety precautions.

What is swimming pool safety?

Drowning is among the top reasons behind injury-related deaths in kids under four years and teenagers. Weak swimmers, especially children, should not be left alone and unattended. If an accident occurs even if they survive it may leave them brain-damaged. Long-term disabilities occur in 5%-10% of drowning cases among children.

Swimming pool safety may help you avoid such accidents and give you peace of mind while you and your family have fun.

Things to keep in mind

Here are things you should know if you own a swimming pool:

Supervision is key

Kids need to be watched at all times when they are around the pool. Young kids are more at risk as they can drown in less than two inches of water in as fast as 30 seconds. If the child knows how to swim it doesn’t guarantee 100% against drowning or related injuries. They may slip on the deck, hit their head, fall in, drown, and lose consciousness. More experienced swimmers or an adult must be within arm’s reach for those learning how to swim.

Invest in learning to swim

Learning to swim is crucial whether for you or your child. Kids can start learning as young as 1 year old and some lessons are open to both child and parent.

Take CPR classes

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one useful technique in many emergencies. It falls under the scope of swimming pool safety. You should know how to give CPR, perform the hands-only variant, which is to give 100 to 120 chest compressions a minute until the arrival of medics.

Precautions to take in pool

Here are precautions you must take in the pool or on the beach:

• Never leave the children around the pool unattended
• Make sure they swim with someone
• Teach them always to ask permission if they go near water
• Make sure that they wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets for additional protection from drowning
• Give them proper swimming lessons so they are more comfortable with their swimming ability

Tips to protect your family

There are many basic pool safety things that you can practice to keep your family safe while swimming all time. These include:

• Staying aware of the weather while enjoying the pool. Summer storms may come along quickly and does a great amount of damage. You should never stay in the pool if lightning or thunderstorm is in the air.
• Ensure that every adult in the family knows the proper lifesaving techniques like CPR.
• Install a pool fence and lock it whenever an adult is not around the pool. It is a great way to protect kids and pets from accidentally entering the pool area.
• Use a sturdy pool cover that won’t fall in if someone falls on top of it. This is important during the winter months because people fall into pools by accident while clearing the snow.

Conclusion

Every outdoor activity has pros and cons and swimming is no exception, People who make a beeline for the pool need to be aware of swimming pool safety. Always remember to have supervision when a child or you child swims in the pool. First-aid techniques like CPR are always handy not just in swimming accident emergencies.