Ten Rules for Pool Safety

1. Never leave young children unattended poolside, regardless of the protection in place;

2. Correctly install permanent or removable quality child safety fencing around the pool;

3. Do not take removable fence down for family parties, since many accidents have occured at crowded pools;

4. Check all fence openings regularly, making sure self-closing gates work correctly, and manual openings are closed;

5. If you must install a net instead of fencing, provide additional layers of protection such as door and pool alarms, and always re-install the net after each use of the pool. This is a very good reason why nets are not so effective as fences in child safety poolside, since a pool fence does not need to be removed every time the pool is used. An important consideration, is how many times in a day will the pool get used? (especially on a hot holiday weekend). If a net is the primary safety barrier, will it really be re-installed every time a swim session is finished?

6. Ensure that no windows, doorways, pet doors or yard gates open directly onto an unprotected pool area;

7. Make sure that joins in removable pool fencing sections cannot be undone by a child, that the fence is tightly tensioned and that the poles cannot be removed from the ground, (see patented safety features of Protect-A-Child Fence Systems here);

8. Cover and lock all spas or protect with a fence;

9. Be aware of plastic furniture, toys, vases, trees or posts that can be used by young children to get over safety fencing,

10. Make sure that safety pool fencing that is stepped over retaining walls or steps is tall enough when looked at from the higher to lower locations, (We often install a taller fencing panel at the lower elevation to solve this weak link).

While these are common issues that we discuss at most estimates, there may well be other considerations at your home. If in doubt arrange a free no obligation in-home safety evaluation here.