Make Swimming Pools Safer

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Medically Reviewed by: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Nine people drown per day in the US. That's the average. It does not even include drownings from boat accidents. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), drowning rates have declined over the years, but drowning is still the second-leading cause of injury-related deaths of children.

While most drownings of infants under a year of age occur in bathtubs, buckets, or toilets, most drownings of children one to four years of age occur in residential swimming pools. The facts surrounding the drownings of young children in residential pools can send a chill down any parent's spine:

• Most children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home.

• Most young children who drowned in pools had been out of sight for less than five minutes.

• The majority of children who drowned in pools were in the care of one or both parents at the time.

If you have a pool at home, be sure it is as safe as possible. Never, ever, leave a child unsupervised in or near a pool.

The American Red Cross recommends the following steps to maximize the safety of home swimming pools:

• Everyone - adults and children - should learn to swim. This is the best step you can take to stay safe around water. The American Red Cross, along with numerous community and private organizations, offers swimming instruction for people of all ages and skill levels.

• Children should be observed at all times when in or around the water, even if they have learned to swim.

• Keep a telephone near the pool so you can call for help in an emergency. This is now an especially practical suggestion with the advent of cell phones.

• Learn CPR and insist that all adults who supervise children in a pool are proficient in CPR. You can also post CPR instructions in the pool area.

• Keep lifesaving equipment (pole, rope, and personal flotation devices) by the pool at all times.

• Pools should be enclosed by a fence with a self-locking, self-closing gate. There should be no openings in the fence that are greater than four inches wide.

• Do not position furniture near the fence that could enable a child to climb over the fence.

• Keep all toys away from the pool and pool area. Children can fall into a pool when attempting to reach or retrieve a toy.

• Always remove pool covers completely before swimming.

• If your child is missing, check the pool first. Walk around the edge of the pool and examine the entire pool, including the bottom, sides, and surface.

Many devices have been developed to improve pool safety, including monitors that sound when someone enters the water and wristband-style monitors that sound if a child falls into the water. While many people purchase these devices, they should be used only as a supplemental security measure and should never replace parental oversight and/or adult supervision of pool areas.

Pool covers have also been advertised as having a "perfect safety record." They are best considered supplemental and should never replace the need for proper fencing on all sides of a pool.

Reference: Centers for Disease Control