Swimming can be a wonderful and relaxing activity on a hot summer day. However, it can also be a real danger. Every year, drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional death in children under 14. Even people that know how to swim well can drown, so it is important to always follow safety rules before getting in the water. Help ensure a fun and safe summer by obeying safety rules around the water.
- Only swim in designated areas that are supervised
- Always swim with another person. Never swim alone
- Always supervise children whenever they are near water. Never leave a child unattended and make sure supervising adults are not distracted
- Make sure all young children or inexperienced swimmers wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Remember, however, that these alone are not life-saving devices
- Make sure home pools have a safety barrier around them to prevent young children from wandering into the pool
- Wear plenty of sunscreen and avoid long exposure to the sun during hours of direct sunlight
- Avoid running around the pool to avoid injury from slipping
- Never dive into water without knowing its at regulation diving depth (Look for depth markers in a pool to avoid shallow areas)
- Department of Health prohibits head first diving in water depths less than 8 feet
- Jumping, diving, or sliding into an above ground pool is prohibited due to it's shallow depth
- Never allow electronic devices close to the pool; these include but are not limited to radios and speakers
- Avoid horseplay in the water as it's too easy to hurt someone accidentally
- Never swim during a storm
- Keep anyone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol away from the pool
- Make sure to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water
- Make sure there is always an adult close by that knows CPR and first-aid
Additional Safety Considerations:
Swimming Lessons- It’s never too early to get your children used to the water, and learning the basics (such as keeping afloat, getting used to swimming with their floaties on, and understanding ‘rules’ like never being allowed to approach the pool without you being there, no running near the pool, etc.)
It’s important to remember that if your child is between the ages of one and four years old, swimming lessons won’t do much to teach them to swim, but it will help to create consistency, routine and ‘rules’ about pool safety. Just make sure that to continue keeping your little ones safe, you need to continually reinforce the ‘rules’, which should include always having “an adult with you, even when you’re in the shallow end and can stand up by yourself.”
Swimming Pool Safety cover - this will provide safety for friends, family, and pets when pool is not in use.
Pool Alarm - pool alarms will help notify any disturbances to the water when the swimming pool is unsupervised.
Pool Fence - with a self-latching gate will help give you control of who enters the pool area when unsupervised.
Rules- like no running, no glass around the pool and most importantly no swimming alone. No diving signs should be posted for non diving pools. Pools that have a diving board should be used only with proper diving techniques. Diving should only be allowed from an approved diving area and never from the side or shallow end deck area. Diving into an above ground pool should never be allowed.
Learn more about pool safety when it specifically comes to your furry friends here!
