Backyard Swimming Pool Safety Tips
Over 300 children fatally drown in pools or spas each year – mostly at home pools and primarily children five years old and younger. It’s the leading cause of accidental death for children in that age range. Additionally 6,500 children visit the emergency room annually with non-fatal drowning injuries.
When using your home pool:
- Supervise Children. Always watch children, not your phone or book. Never leave kids unattended in or around the pool.
- Teach children how to swim or get them swim lessons.
- Stay within arm’s reach of young children and non-swimmers.
- Life Jackets – Inexperienced swimmers should wear properly fitted, U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets while in or near a pool. A life jacket is not a substitute for constant adult supervision. Children who can’t go in the pool can additionally wear a wristband/bracelet water alarm to alert adults that they fell or went in the water.
- Avoid drains/openings that cause suction.
- Establish rules like no running, no pushing, and no diving in shallow areas. Tell children never to use the pool without adult supervision.
- Swim with a buddy, not alone.
- Swim sober.
- Keep rescue equipment readily accessible such as life preservers (aka life buoys or rings) and a rescue pole/shepard’s hook.
When your pool is not in use:
- Secure Your Pool When Not in Use. Surround the pool with a four-sided safety fence. (It’s better than three sides plus your house). The fence should be at least four feet high – but five feet or more is better. It should not have handholds or footholds to help children climb it. Don’t keep objects nearby that can be used to climb over the fence. (See CPSC’s Safety Barrier Guidelines for Home Pools)
- For above-ground pools – Remove and secure steps, ladders and anything that can be used to access the pool whenever it’s not actively supervised by an adult.
- The fence’s gates should be self-closing and self-latching. The latches should be high enough that children can’t reach it. Regularly inspect your gates to make sure they’re in good working order.
- Pool alarms – Surface wave or underwater alarms can alert adults when an unsupervised child (or anyone – even a cat or dog) enters a pool. The alarm should have a distinct sound and have remote alarm speakers that you can hear from anywhere inside your house and near the pool. Some can alert you on your phone. The BCONE Pool Alarm by Lifebuoy is a popular choice on lists of best pool alarms.
- Install anti-entrapment safety drain covers that meet the federal safety standard to avoid deadly suction entrapment.
- Homes with doors leading directly to the pool (with only a three-sided fence), should have door alarms and locks on all house doors and windows with pool access. Locks should be out of reach of children. Don’t have a doggy door leading to a pool. Children regularly drown in backyard pools they access by crawling through pet doors.
- Safety pool covers add another layer of protection. Keep the cover completely closed when the pool’s not in use. Don’t walk on it. The pool cover should be kept clean and well maintained. Inspect it for holes and tears. The control device for power pool covers should be out of the reach of children. Safety pool covers are more expensive than standard covers, but they’re much better at preventing child and pet accidents.
More Tips:
- Everyone in a home with a swimming pool should take water safety, first aid and CPR courses.
- In case of emergency, post your home address and emergency numbers by the pool to help guests, babysitters, and children call for help.
- Check your local regulations to see what safety features are required where you live.
Further Reading
American Red Cross – How to Create a Safer Home Pool or Hot Tub
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – Safety Barrier Guidelines for Home Pools
ARAG Insurance Company – 8 Rules for Having a Pool in Your Backyard
SwimmingPool.com – Pool Safety Equipment
Bob Vila – The Best Pool Alarms for Safety and Peace of Mind, Tested