Always be careful around swimming pools and reduce hazards. Ensure that your pool complies with state laws and always supervise children to minimise risk. Owning a swimming pool is a huge responsibility so read on to find out the common hazards around a swimming pool and what you can do to ensure swimming pool safety.
Introduction – Swimming Pool Safety
Swimming pools can be a source of great enjoyment for families, but they can also pose dangers to children and pets. The most effective way of avoiding accidents is to make sure that your pool has good fencing and self-locking gates. Each state has its own regulations when it comes to swimming pool construction and the best way to reduce risk is to ensure that your pool complies with state regulations. There are also other ways that you can reduce the risk to your family. There are a number of precautions you can take to minimise the hazards of swimming pools.
What are the hazards of a swimming pool?
Childhood drowning is the third most common cause of death for Australian children between the ages of 1 and 14. It takes less than 30 seconds for a child to drown and toddlers are most at risk. There are also large numbers of non-fatal drownings and almost half of them happen to children under 5.
Although there are national regulations when it comes to swimming pools and fencing, every state also has its own laws. They are all similar, but the details may vary. These laws specify the type of fencing and pool gates that are required.
Even if your backyard pool complies with government regulations regarding fencing and gates, there are still a number of hazards and safety measures that you need to think about, especially around swimming season.
Solid pool covers
While solid pool covers have a number of advantages, such as reducing water loss and minimising the use of chlorine, they can pose a hazard to small children or pets. Water can collect on top of the cover and there could be enough water to be dangerous to small children or pets. It only takes a few centimetres of water for a child to drown. Another problem may arise if for some reason, there is a gap between your pool cover and the edge of the pool. It is possible for someone to fall into the water and be unable to get out.
Diving boards
The improper use of diving boards can result in serious injuries. The most common injuries related to diving are head and neck injuries. People can injure themselves if they hit the board during the dive and they can injure themselves or others by diving onto people who are in the pool.
Dangerous drains
Pool drains are an important part of your pool filtration system and help to keep your pool clean and safe. It is important to teach children about safe behaviour around drains as they use suction to filter things out of the water and they could become trapped. It is possible to get your body, hair, clothing or jewellery stuck in a drain.
Slippery surfaces
The areas around your pool are likely to get wet when people are playing in the pool. If the wrong materials are used around the pool, they can get very slippery. Algae can grow on wet surfaces making them even more slippery.
Chemical exposure
Although chemicals are essential for keeping your pool clean and safe, the chemicals are toxic to humans. Injuries can occur when the chemicals are inhaled or get onto your skin in large amounts. The water in your pool can hurt your eyes if there are too many chemicals. It is important to ensure that the right amount of chemicals are used. For more details about the kind of chemicals commonly found in pools, go to Know Your Pool.
Illness from swimming in contaminated water
Swimming in contaminated water can make you sick and there are some germs that are resistant to pool chemicals. Cryptosporidium is one of these chlorine-resistant microbes which may give you diarrhoea. Giardia is a parasite that is also resistant to chlorine. There are also many other diseases that may be found in your swimming pool if it is not properly maintained.
“Even at a supervised public pool, never take your eyes off children. Toddlers, in particular, have a natural attraction to water, and their sense of danger is under-developed. A lack of direct supervision by a parent or carer is believed to be a contributing factor in more than two-thirds of drowning deaths at public pools.”
RCH.org.au
What are the most important swimming pool safety precautions?
To reduce the risk of accidents, it is important to take precautions.
Supervision of children
The most important thing you can do is to supervise your children at all times. It can take just 30 seconds for a child to drown. You can’t take your eyes off them at all. If you have to go back to the house for something, then you should bring your children with you.
Teach your children to swim or float
Children can learn to float from a very early age and although this doesn’t completely eliminate the risk of drowning, it does cut down the risk significantly. See kidsalive.com.au for more information about pool safety and teaching children to swim. Enrolling your child in swimming lessons from an early age is one of the best things you can do to teach them water safety.
Adequate fencing
If you have a pool, you must ensure that there are adequate pool safety fences. Your pool fencing must comply with state regulations and should be high enough to keep pets and children out of the pool area. Swimming Pool and Spa Association, Australia has detailed information about the laws in each state.
Childproof gates
As well as fencing, you should have a self-latching gate with a latching device that prevents the pool gate from opening. It is particularly important that small children cannot open the gates by themselves.
Non slip flooring
The area around your pool should have a non-slip surface. There are many companies that make flooring surfaces for pool areas. Even if your surface is non-slip you may still need to treat it for algae since the presence of algae can make the surface extra slippery.
Rules about diving in shallow water
It is important for all visitors to the pool to know where and how to dive into the pool. If you dive into water that is too shallow, you may run the risk of hitting your head on the bottom of the pool and damaging your spine. Make sure that your pool has signs to show where it is not deep enough to dive. It is probably best not to have a diving board unless your pool is quite large and deep.
Life vests and other flotation devices
Life vests are the best option for people who can’t swim. Many of the other flotation devices which are commonly seen in pools are designed to help children to swim more easily, but cannot save them in an emergency situation. Children should still be supervised even if they are wearing a flotation device. Many of these products come with warnings that they are not designed to prevent drowning.
Regular cleaning of the pool
You should clean your pool regularly in order to avoid illness and to avoid damage to your pool. If the water in your pool is not clean, it can mean that bacteria and parasites can grow in your pool and that may result in illness. Clogged drains may mean that the pump has to work harder and may even burn out and result in expensive repairs or even replacement of the pump. If your pool is not regularly cleaned it may develop algae and the water will be green and unpleasant to swim in. Getting rid of algae is time-consuming and requires a lot of toxic chemicals.
Regular testing of pool
Even if you keep your pool clean, you will still need to test it regularly to ensure that it is safe to swim in. As well as testing for algae and microbes, you need to test the chemical balance. Too few chemicals can mean you will get sick, but too many chemicals can be toxic to swimmers. For more details about why and how you should check your water quality, go to Better Health Channel, Victoria.
Posting of CPR charts
In Queensland and New South Wales, one of the requirements for a safe pool environment is to post a CPR chart in the pool area. This will give people information about what to do in case of an emergency situation. Even if you are not in one of these states it is a good idea to have one. It is also a good idea to do a CPR course as well.
Ladders and Steps
There should be either ladders or steps at either end of the pool. Ladders can be difficult for small children and pets to navigate. If you have a ladder, make sure that it is securely fixed to the side of the pool and be sure to keep the rungs of the ladder clean and free of algae which can make them very slippery.
Pool Alarms
Pool alarms are one way that parents can keep their children and pets safe around the swimming pool. If you have a pool alarm, it greatly reduces the risk of anyone drowning if they are around the pool unsupervised. For more information about the different types of pool alarms, go to Total Pool Safety Solutions.
What does Australian law say regarding Swimming Pool Safety?
Different states have different laws when it comes to pool safety. In order to ensure that your pool is safe and legal go to Swimming Pool Safety and the Law. To make your pool safe, you will need to follow the laws in your state. All of the states require appropriate fencing and gates. NSW and Queensland also require CPR signage, but it’s a good idea even if you are in another state.
Keeping children safe around water constitutes following the four key actions of Royal Life Saving’s Keep Watch Campaign:
Supervise. Actively supervise children around water
Restrict. Restrict children’s access to water
Teach. Teach children water safety skills
Respond. Learn how to respond in the case of an emergency
Royallifesaving.com.au
What are the key messages for kids surrounding Swimming Pool Safety?
There are a number of things that kids of all ages need to know about swimming pool use.
- Never swim unsupervised. Ask an adult if you want to have a swim.
- No running around the pool area
- Never push anyone in the pool or around the pool
- Swim lessons are important to teach swimming skills and water safety
- Make sure all kids using the pool know and understand the pool rules
- No diving in shallow pools
- Diving boards are for diving and you should not play on them or do tricks, even if you are a good swimmer.
Conclusion – Swimming Pool Safety
Although there are a number of risks associated with home swimming pools, you can reduce those risks by taking steps to minimise hazards and by ensuring that all the people who use your pool know how to use it safely. The most important step you can take to protect your family is to never leave a child unattended around the pool. Children should never use the pool unsupervised even if they know how to swim. It only takes a matter of seconds for a drowning to occur. Make sure that your swimming pool is clean and safe and that everyone knows what to do in an emergency so that you can minimise the risks of owning a pool.
