Swimming pools and spas are great places for families to spend time together and have fun. Yet it’s important to ensure everyone stays safe in and around pools and spas. Since no safety system is foolproof, several protective measures should be used in conjunction with adult supervision and other types of safety systems. Barriers, alarms and safety covers are critical water safety steps, yet none of them are sufficient to serve as the sole safety system for a pool or spa.
No matter how safe you feel, additional protective measures and safety systems contribute to the overall safety of a pool or spa. These safety systems include:
Barriers
An outdoor swimming pool barrier is a physical obstacle that surrounds a pool or spa so that access to the water is limited to adults.
Alarms
Alarms for doors, gates, windows and pools or spas are safety features designed to alert adults when unsupervised children enter the area of the pool or spa.
Safety Covers
A pool or spa safety cover is a manual or motorized barrier that can be placed over the water’s surface, and is easily opened or closed.
The single most important purchase we did after buying a house with an in ground pool was to install a pool fence. Our kiddos are still learning to swim and now I feel better knowing that they cannot reach the pool unless an adult is with them.
We have a pool cover that uses water bags to hold it in place. I was told that this cover is still dangerous to little kids, is that right?
The short answer is yes, your cover is still dangerous for little kids. However if you have a fence around your pool you should be OK. If you are worried about safety and don’t want to take any chances I would suggest getting a safety pool cover that connects to hooks in your pool deck. Google “safety cover pool” for pictures.