What are the layers of protection for pool and spa safety?

Keeping your pool safe for your family should be your number one concern when making a pool.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an estimated 260 children under five years of age drown each in residential swimming pools, and smalls.

Don’t let this unfortunate event happen in your home. Instead, learn how to protect yourself and your children from the life-threatening hazards pools can cause.

Here are some tips you should consider when considering a residential pool:

• You should always follow the protection tips that you are provided for you. These tips include not leaving your children unsupervised near the pool, and knowing what to do in case of an emergency. However, these tips mostly include the structural safety of your pool. This includes keeping a fence around the pool area. (See article: Is your pool safe for children?) Following these tips is highly crucial, so do the best you can.

• Another layer of protection is supervision. This is also a very important layer of protection. Supervision is probably the most common reason why children drown in residential pools. When picking a supervisor, make sure that he/she knows how to swim well, and is in condition to save a child.

• Another important tip is paying attention to local weather conditions and forecasts. At the first indication of bad weather, it would be best to stop swimming. When your pool is in use, watch children around any water environment, even though you are positive that your child is an excellent swimmer.

• Do not rely on substitutes like floatation devices to protect your children from drowning. These devices can pop, and might even choke the children. When picking someone to watch the kids, make sure that this supervisor knows a main course of CPR.

• Along with supervision tips, you should pay attention to additional safety measures. This is the last layer of protection that you should pay close attention to. This is highly important.

Remove all toys from the pool after use, so children won’t be tempted to go into the pool and play with it inside the water. It is also important to confiscate all electrical appliances, like radios, away from pools or spas because of the potential shock hazard they indicate.