A backyard pool can be an excellent addition to your home. It provides many long summers worth of fun, and can even add value to your home. However, the sad truth is that a pool can be dangerous, not only to children and pets, but even to adults. It’s important to keep your backyard pool as safe as possible, and here’s how you can protect your loved ones.
- Get it certified
The government has strict regulations around pool safety. If you are trying to sell your home, then it’s law that you have to get a certificate to say it’s safe. However, even if you aren’t looking to move, it’s worth contacting some accredited swimming pool certifiers so they can carry out an inspection. This is the best way to identify any potential dangers and to get a list of what might need to be fixed.
- Make sure your pool is properly fenced
Fencing is one of the key parts of pool safety. Your pool fence should be:
- Tall enough to prevent children climbing – check local regulations for the required height
- Not have any gaps that pets or small children could squeeze through
- Not be climbable
- Have a self-closing gate that can be latched
Many people have a fenced pool and assume that’s OK, but if the fencing is ineffective, then it’s completely pointless. It’s worth considering adding a new pool fence to ensure it is strong enough and looks great.
- Remove climbable objects
While your fencing may not be climbable, it’s common for children to use objects such as chairs, tables or playground equipment to get into the pool area. If your pool is near a window, then they may be able to climb out and get to the pool.
Walk around the pool and put yourself in the mind of a child. How can they access the pool? What items could they use? Make sure anything tempting is moved out of the way so the pool is harder to access.
- Make sure kids know how to swim
If you have children in your home, get them started with swimming lessons when they are young, so they at least know the basics and how to tread water.
Any backyard pool can potentially be a danger, so it’s important to take the threat seriously and ensure you have put safety measures in place. From the right fencing to a safety certification, a few changes could prevent a tragedy.
