Swimming Pool Safety

We all love our swimming pools – once you’ve installed one, it can be difficult to imagine life without it. It provides entertainment for the whole family and can sometimes seem like an ideal babysitter. What we often tend to forget is that children need supervision around a pool – it can literally take only seconds for a tragic accident to occur.

Letting Kids look after Kiddies

You may think that having your teenager supervise your kiddies around the pool is perfectly safe but it really is not – teenagers are not always known for their ability to concentrate or their common sense. Your teenager could quite easily get distracted – by their phone, friends, etc. and, whilst they are not looking, your kiddies could find themselves in a great deal of trouble. In addition, there is always the possibility that the teenagers might not know what to do in the event of a problem and that they may even panic.

Teenagers may also sometimes do stupid things – they may joke around or engage in dangerous horseplay. It is never a good idea to leave a bunch of teenagers alone by the pool either. Once again, they can engage in boisterous activities but generally do not have the requisite skills to deal with problems should they arise.

The Stats don’t Lie

Statistics show that, of the 315 deaths attributed to drowning in 2011 in Queensland, about 15% occurred due to the victims wandering or falling into water accidentally. The number of deaths that occurred in home swimming pools totalled 6.3%. This is down on previous figures and is probably due to the new swimming pool regulations that are in place, but it does still indicate that parents need to supervise their children around swimming pools, despite the new regulations.

What it basically boils down to is the proper supervision of children of all ages when they are around a pool. It can also be a good idea to get advice from a pool builder about materials that are safer to use when building or revamping your pool area. You might want to look into materials that are less slippery when wet, etc.

The only way to really ensure that your children are completely safe in the pool is to make certain that there is a reliable adult present – preferably a parent – when they are swimming. It is a good idea to garner some knowledge of first aid to enable you to deal with any problems that may arise. Click here for more info on pool safety.