I never felt comfortable with
having a swimming pool so close to our house when we had a child who,
at the time, was three years old. Maybe I am a bit paraonoid, but the
thought of my little baby girl quietly slipping under the water, unable
to call out for my help, used to haunt me day and night. Whenever I was
not absolutely sure where she was for even a moment, my heart would
skip a beat. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,
an
estimated 260 children under five years of age drown each year in
residential swimming pools and spas. While I am aware that many
visitors to my site think we should have repaired our swimming pool and
taken the usual safety precautions, I am very happy that we eliminated
this unecessary source of danger from our home. If you are worried
about your children's or grandchildren's safety, I would urge you to
also consider removing the swimming pool
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission offers the following tips for pool owners:
- Never leave a child unsupervised near a pool.
- Instruct
babysitters about potential hazards to young children in and around
swimming pools and the need for constant supervision.
- Completely fence the swimming pool. Install self-closing and self-latching gates. Position latches
out of reach of young children. Keep all doors and windows leading to
the pool area secure to prevent small children from getting to the
pool. Effective barriers and locks are necessary preventive measures,
but there is no substitute for supervision.
Do not consider young children "drown proof" because they have had
swimming lessons; young children should always be watched carefully
while swimming.
- Do not use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.
- Never
use a pool with its pool cover partially in place, since children may
become entrapped under it. Remove the cover completely.
- Place tables and chairs well away from the pool fence to prevent children from climbing into the pool area.
- Keep toys away from the pool area because a young child playing with the toys could accidentally fall in the water.
- Remove steps to above ground pools when not in use.
- Have
a telephone at poolside to avoid having to leave children unattended in
or near the pool to answer a telephone elsewhere. Keep emergency
numbers at the poolside telephone.
- Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
- Keep rescue equipment by the pool.
PARENTS AND GUARDIANS: ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT A DROWNING. WATCH YOUR
CHILD CLOSELY AT ALL TIMES. MAKE SURE DOORS LEADING TO THE POOL AREA
ARECLOSED AND LOCKED. YOUNG CHILDREN CAN QUICKLY SLIP AWAY AND INTO THE
POOL.
CPSC requests that consumers report incidents of drowning or "near
drowning" by calling the Commission toll-free at 1-800-638-2772.
