If you are thinking of building a swimming pool in your backyard, you must include pool safety in your plan. you don’t want any unfortunate incidents anywhere near your pool. For this reason, you should contact SF Pool Fence Inspections to guide you on pool safety measures for your backyard pool. Among other safety measures, this reputable company is likely to recommend the ones below.
Pool Fence and Gate
One of the most effective pool safety measures for your kids is to construct a fence around the pool. This fence should be at least four feet high and there should be not footholds or handholds to help children climb into the pool. Apart from making sure the fence serves as an effective barrier, the gate should be child-proof as well. The right gate for your pool is one that is self-closing and self-latching. The latch should always be out of reach for children. The idea of a pool fence with a gate is an excellent one but this barrier has one weak link and that is the gate. If the gate does not close properly, the whole purpose is defeated. For this reason, the gate maintenance is essential to ensure it closes properly all the time.
Pool Alarms
The pool alarm is an excellent safety measure. These alarms come in different forms and can be battery powered or electronic. Some experts recommend motion sensor alarms. These alarms go off when kids or small animals get into the pool. The other option is the pool gate alarm. This one goes off when someone touches the gate leading to the pool. In the opinion of this writer, the pool gate alarm is the better option here. The purpose of pool safety is to prevent accidents at the pool and not to minimize damage after the accident has occurred. For this simple reason, the pool gate is preferable because children can be whisked away to safety as soon as they open the gate.
Power Safety Covers
This safety measure can be used as an alternative to the pool gate alarm. This is a motor-powered barrier that you can use to keep out children from your pool. This simple device opens and closes over the water area. Once you have it in place, it can provide safety to children of age five and below. If you are using this option, it must meet the safety standards of the ASTM pool cover requirements. It also makes sense to ensure this cover is properly closed so that kids don’t get trapped.
Pool Safety in and Around the Swimming Pool
The purpose of the swimming pool is not to keep children out of the pool. Your children can still enjoy the pool as long pool safety measures are strictly enforced. To this end, parents and adults should take note of the following measures in and around the pool.
Switch off Mobile Phones
In cases where adults and children converge in the pool area, the adults around are supposed to monitor the kids and take care of them in case anything unusual happens. Unfortunately, many adults tend to concentrate on their smart phones at the pool side and leave the children to take acre of themselves. Clearly, this is a bad move. The right move is for the parents and adults to switch off all mobile phones and concentrate on keeping an eye on the kids.
Insist on Using Life Jackets
If you have young children, you should get them life jackets and ensure they wear them when going for a dip or swimming in the pool. Not that these flotation devices are not effective substitutes for parental supervision. Watch your kids when they are swimming and ensure they are safe until they leave the swimming pool.
Teach Your Kids to Swim
If you have a swimming pool, it follows that people (including children) are going to swim in it. now, trying to prevent your kids from swimming on the grounds that they don’t know how to swim is inviting trouble. Take out the time and teach your kids to swim. If you cannot do this yourself, hire an expert to do it but make sure your kids have mastered all the swimming basics before you let them use the pool (under strict supervision, of course).
Teach Pool Safety Measures
You cannot teach your children to swim without teaching them pool safety measures. Explain all the swimming pool “Dos and Don’ts” patiently to your kids and make sure they understand these things. For best results, you should give token prizes to the kids who observe your safety standards to the letter.
Discourage Diving
One thing you should not do is encourage your kids to dive into the pool. Explain to them that diving into the pool is dangerous and for good measure, get rid of the diving board so they are not tempted to use it when you are not looking.
Swimming is fun but it comes with a number of risks. Always ensure that you have safety measures in place in and around your swimming pools. This will take away all the risk factors and you are left with the fun part of the deal.