The following contribution is from another author.
There are few things that can invite summer fun and relaxation like a good pool. Aside from being a place to cool off the summer, they can allow you to stay fit by making it easy to get a good workout in with a swim any time, they make for excellent socializing spots, and they might even increase the value of your home. That said, where there is water, there is the potential for danger, and it’s vital to always be aware of that. Here, we’re going to look at what you can do to make sure that your garden pool is as safe as it can be.
Be sure to keep it clean
Between the people jumping in for a swim or a relax, and the fact that your pool is left out in the open, there are a lot of potential sources of contamination. Your pool, if installed properly, should have some degree of self-cleaning, but that doesn’t mean that you can leave it entirely unsupervised. Make sure that you invest in the right pool cleaning equipment, as well as the chemicals you need to occasionally top it up with to make sure that it remains clean and thus not likely to make anyone sick just for taking a swim.
Keep the sides slip-free
With all that water, some of it is naturally going to go up and over the sides. The stone, concrete, marble, or other walkways that you have around the pool might look great, but they may also get slippery when wet, and a slip, trip, or fall can result in a very serious injury. As such, aside from setting strict rules about not running around the pool, you should consider investing in pool mats that can go on the areas around the pool, offering more grip and security so that people are less likely to slip in the first place.
Get a cover for it
Aside from slipping around the pool, there could be a serious risk factor to falling into it when not expecting. Children are at particular risk of falling in, especially if they’re too young or unable to swim, but drowning after accidentally falling into the pool is just as much of a risk for adults, as well, especially if they get injured during the fall. As such, you should make sure that you have a pool cover for an extra level of protection. When choosing a pool cover, you have to ensure that it’s strong enough to be able to hold the weight of a child and, when you put the cover on, ensure there are no puddles lying on top. Even those few inches of water can prove fatal.
Make a barrier around it
A pool cover is always a good idea, but if you want to make sure that your pool area is extra safe, then you can make it a lot harder to access unless you express intent to. Installing a pool fence, especially one with a locked gate or a gate that requires real effort to open, can prevent people, especially children and pets, from wandering too close to the pool. Make sure that you invest in a fence that’s big enough that the average child can’t climb it too easily, with no gaps big enough for them to squeeze between. Fencing can also offer some level of security, making it difficult for anyone to try and sneak in to use the pool without permission.
Get yourself a pool alarm system
The tips above can greatly reduce the likelihood of any child or person unintentionally falling in the pool, but that chance is never quite zero percent. As such, aside from prevention, ensuring that you’re alerted in the event of an accidental fall into the pool is the key. You can get a pool alarm system, which connects sensors in the pool to both lights and sound that can let you know if someone has fallen in. Of course, you can turn this alarm off when you actually mean to go swimming but be sure to turn it back on when you’re done again. You can also have alarms that make a chime noise if someone gets a little too close to the pool, giving you some early warning.
Taking the steps above to make your pool a safer and more secure place to relax, have fun, and spend time with the family should be a priority when you install yours. Otherwise, you never know what accidents and injuries could wait.
