Posted on 07.01.2015, Wednesday

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With the summer heat and this weekend’s upcoming 4th of July festivities, many people will be flocking to neighborhood and community pools for some family time. Pools are a great source of family fun, but they can also be dangerous if not everyone is aware and mindful of important pool safety standards.

Statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) show that fatal and non-fatal child drownings in pools and spas continue to pose a public health and safety challenge across the country. CPSC estimates that each year nearly 300 children younger than five drown in swimming pools and spas and more than 3,200 children that age go to hospital emergency rooms due to submersion injuries in pools and spas.

These incidents are largely preventable by following some basic pool safety tips to keep children safer in and around the water:

• Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch your children closely around all bodies of water.
• Designate a Water Watcher to supervise children in the pool or spa. This person should not be reading, texting, using a smart phone or be otherwise distracted.
• Learn how to swim, and teach your child how to swim.
• Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults.
• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments.
• Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal safety standards, and if you do not know, ask your pool service provider about safe drain covers.

For more information, please visit the Pool Safely: Simple Steps Save Lives website.

Have a fun and safe 4th of July!