Pool safety is an especially important topic coming into summer. Now that the weather’s heating up, so is our desire to jump in the water! But before we do, it’s vital that your pool safety is high.
So what does that entail? There are plenty of ways to enhance pool safety in your home. And we have listed five of our best tips below. However, all of them share one thing in common: following the regulations. Pool safety regulations are quite stringent in Australia, but it does save lives. Remember, even if you don’t have kids, other children can easily find their way into your pool, if you’re not prepared. So avoid any incidents, and take a look at these summer pool safety tips!
The best pool safety tip coming into summer is to make sure your pool fence is in good condition
First of all, we recommend checking your pool fence. Whether you have an aluminium or glass pool fence, damage is always a possibility. And you may not notice it right away. One common source of damage to pool fences is the gate. Children often like to swing on pool gates, and the added weight can cause damage to the hinges, and latch. Damaged latches are among the most prevalent, and significant pool hazards. So check your latch frequently. Keep an eye out for other damage too; broken joins, bent struts, and expanded gaps are all possible hazards. The best way to identify them is with a thorough check.
Pool safety tips are about vigilance: make sure kids can’t climb your pool fence this summer
Speaking of thorough checks, there’s something else that can affect your pool safety: pot plants! It sounds counter intuitive, but something as simple as a large pot plant beside a pool fence can be a hazard. The reason for that is simple: children, inquisitive as they are, often look for ways over the pool fence. Those ways aren’t always conventional. If there’s something to aid them in climbing over the pool fence, they’ll probably take advantage of that. So always keep your pool fence clear.
The golden pool safety tip is supervision: never let kids out of your sight around the pool
Even if your pool fence is in perfect condition, supervision is still vital when kids are around. Kids love to take all sorts of activities around the pool, and some are less safe than others. Things can turn nasty quickly around the pool; all it takes is a misplaced step. So set some ground rules for your kids, such as ‘no running by the pool.’ It sounds cliché, but when coupled with effective supervision, it’ll bring your pool safety up to the mark.
Another good safety tip is to keep an eye on pool water quality coming into summer
Pools can present more than just a drowning risk; they can harbour waterborne diseases if poorly maintained. The beginning of summer is often when those water borne nasties will manifest, too. That is due to the infrequent use most of our pools receive over the cooler months. So before you return your pool to active duty, get a water quality check first.
Finally, our hot tip for pool safety this summer is to replace your fence if it’s not up to scratch
Our last summer pool safety tip ties into our first: pool fence maintenance! If your pool fence is no longer up to the job, get it repaired or replaced by a specialist. With so much at stake, and regulated installation standards, pool fences aren’t a great DIY job. Our tip: get the pool fencing experts in to fortify your pool fence, and by extension, your pool safety.