Protecting Your Family from Accidents in Public Pools

Public swimming pools are a great community space to spend time with friends and loved ones, but they present many dangers if swimmers don’t take extra precautions. More than 372,000 people drown every year, but these deaths could have been prevented.

You and your family need to be informed and stay educated about keeping vulnerable members such as children safe while swimming.

POOL SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS

Check for Drain Entrapments

Drains are fatal to small children because they have a strong suction force that can pull them in. Despite this threat, not many are aware of the dangers of drains.

There are specific safety standards that should be met, such as an entrapment device installed over the drain or other safety measures. Adults, as well as small children, can be harmed. Limbs, hair, and clothing can get entangled in a malfunctioning drain, all of which can prevent escape to the surface.

You should keep children away from drains and also check that the public pool has proper drain covers. Avoid the public pool if it has broken, flat, or missing drain covers. Check with the manager of the pool facility to see if their drain covers meet basic requirements.

Swimming Education

Anyone attending a public pool should learn how to swim. It would be helpful to enroll your family in swimming courses so instructors can teach them how to stay safe in the water.

Learning CPR, first-aid, and other skills that can save a life can vastly improve their chances of survival during emergencies.  You can learn these valuable life-saving skills by attending online classes on CPR and First Aid.

Also, get educated on the threat of a hypoxic blackout and hyperventilation to prevent these events from happening.

It is ideal to learn the following:

• How to exit the water
• How to swim at least 25 yards
• How to maneuver in the water
• How to enter water deeper than your head and how to break surface
• How to tread water and float for a least a minute

Swimming Pool Safety Guidelines

You should be knowledgeable about your physical fitness and limitations. If you have any medical conditions that prevent you from swimming a long distance, you should stay in the shallow area.

Also, try to swim with lifeguards present or with someone always nearby. You should also learn basic swimming skills that everyone should know before entering the water, such as the ability to break surface and breath, stay afloat, and change direction in the water.

Never swim while under the influence of a substance. If a child or adult cannot swim, use a life vest in deeper pools.

Be Attentive

Never stop monitoring children and weak swimmers whenever they are nearby or in water. Pay attention to signs that someone is drowning. Try to assist them by reaching for them or throwing a floating device with a rope attached.

Tools such as life jackets, nearby and accessible floating devices, locked gates for small children, and constant supervision will also help.

What Happens if a Family Member Drowned?

If a loved one has passed away due to a swimming pool accident, it is time that you speak to a drowning accident lawyer during this crisis.

The advice of a legal professional will be valuable when you are deciding what to do if your loved one’s death was caused by negligence. They can provide guidance when filing a wrongful death claim and help you get compensation for your losses using proof that the other party is at fault.

Do you think swimming pool rules for homes should be the same as public pools?