As you ready your backyard pool for summer, do more than clean it. Make it safer, too.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates 250 children younger than 5 drown each year in pools. It’s the second leading cause of child deaths after car accidents.
Make your pool a place that’s safe for children. Here are some tips:
- Build a five-foot-tall fence or wall around your pool to keep children from wandering in. Install a self-closing, self-latching gate. Move furniture away from the fence so kids can’t use it to climb over the barriers.
- Cover the pool when it’s not in use to prevent anyone from accidentally landing in the water.
- Keep rescue and first-aid equipment near the side of the pool with a list of emergency numbers. Learn CPR and encourage other family members to learn it, too.
- Clear away pool toys that might attract small children to the water when the pool is unattended.
- If a child is missing, look in the pool first. Every second counts when a child is drowning.
- Never install underwater lights yourself. This is strictly a job for a licensed electrician.
- Install ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) on all outlets that power outdoor electric equipment. When a GFCI detects an electricity leak, it immediately shuts off power to prevent an electrical shock.
- Never use extension cords to power pool equipment. If you use outdoor-rated extension cords to power lights or tools, keep them far away from the pool so they don’t get wet or splashed.
- Hire a licensed electrician or qualified pool professional to check that your pool’s wiring and installation is up to code and poses no safety hazards.
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