Thinking Pool Safety Saves Lives

Summer is here and that means it is time to enjoy the pool – and think safety. Each year, thousands of children are injured in the pool and hundreds lose their lives in drowning incidents. So while we want you to enjoy your pool this summer, we ask you to commit to protecting your children and family.

Keep these safety tips in mind:

• Supervise children at all times. If you’re in a group, it’s easy to get distracted so consider designating someone a “pool watcher.”
• Learn how to swim and teach your children.
• Get CPR training.
• Keep a phone with you at the pool.
• Make sure you have proper rescue equipment and keep it nearby.
• Keep your pool inside a fence at least four-feet tall and secure it with a durable lock when not in use.
• Remember small children can drown in kiddie pools and watch them accordingly.
• Check your pool’s drains. Suction from a pool’s drain can be powerful enough to trap both children and adults underwater. Do not use any pool or spa with broken or missing drain covers. At community pools, ask the operator if the pool complies with the Pool and Spa Safety Act.

Why it’s important:

• Pools were involved in the overwhelming majority of emergency room visits for drownings and submersion injuries from 2006 to 2008 across the country. They accounted for the majority of reported drowning fatalities from 2004 to 2006.
• From 2006 to 2008, there were on average 3,100 pool and spa related emergency department visits nationwide involving drowning injuries.
• Children ages one and two accounted for 62 percent of drowning injuries from 2006 to 2008 nationwide.

For more information on pool safety, visit www.poolsafety.gov.

The statistics from this article come from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and is available here.

The Boston law firm of Breakstone, White & Gluck promotes pool safety through education. We also handle all types personal injury and wrongful death cases, including premises liability cases arising from swimming pool accidents. If you have a question regarding a case, please contact one of our attorneys at (617) 723-7676 or use our online contact form.