Swimming Pool Safety

Tips On Increasing Swimming Pool Safety

(NAPSI)-If you want to make a splash with swimming pool safety, here are some tips. While pools and spas can be great fun, care must be taken to enjoy these water activities safely.
When it comes to safety, there is no substitute for the watchful eye of a caring adult or parent when small children are present in and around a pool. Because small children can drown in a matter of seconds in as little as 2 inches of water, always be sure to drain standing water from the surface of your pool and spa covers. NSF International has put together a series of safety tips to help parents and families reduce the risk of drowning, injury or illness around the water:
• Establish and enforce sensible rules for pool and spa use. Kids should never be allowed to run or play games near the pool.
• Keep electrical appliances, such as televisions and stereos, away from the pool or spa so they cannot be knocked into the water accidentally. Extension cords should never be used around pools.
• Never allow anyone to use the pool or spa unless the cover has been completely removed to ensure no one gets trapped under the cover.
• Installing a barrier or pool alarm is another way to increase safety.
• Check with your local building officials to ensure your fence and gate meet local codes. Most building codes require a minimum 48-inch-high fence surrounding inground pools.
• Gates leading to the pool area should have a self-closing and self-latching mechanism to prevent unauthorized entry.
• Take special care to evaluate your pool or spa for suction grates or intake fittings at the bottom of the pool or spa. Make sure your drain covers are NSF Certified to meet the newly revised ASME A112.19.8 (2007) standard for preventing one’s body parts, limbs and hair from becoming trapped.
• Always follow manufacturers, operating instructions for filters, chemical feeders and other equipment.
• In the event of threatening weather, especially thunderstorms, make sure everyone leaves the pool area and seeks shelter indoors.
Since 1944, NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, has been committed to making the world a safer place for consumers. Its Consumer Affairs Office offers a series of fact sheets and tips on its Web site to help keep families safe, as well as to help pool owners select drain covers, filters and disinfection systems that have been independently tested and certified.
Further information is available at http://www.nsfconsumer.org/ or by calling the NSF consumer hotline at (800) 673-8010. Consumers can also e-mail questions to info@nsf.org.
When it comes to safety, there is no substitute for the watchful eye of a caring adult or parent when small children are present around a pool.

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Get Children Swimming

There's nothing like a dip in the pool on a hot day. Swimming is a great way to escape the heat and it is great entertainment and exercise for children and adults..... and let's not forget about the family dogs, often they like to join in the fun too. We can say that swimming is great entertainment and exercise for everyone.

These days it is popular to get the kids swimming early in life. Swimming classes for kids are popular and highly recommended for the little ones. Swimming classes for kids will usually also provide them with some basic swimming pool safety rules they can learn and which you should also learn and enforce swimming pool safety rules around your home swimming pool.

We often see babies swimming even before they're able to walk alone or talk. It seems impossible but really, the earlier they are exposed to swimming the better it can be. Of course, teaching baby to swim should be done by professionals and all safety precautions should be taken around the pool. While babies can learn to swim, most kids start swimming from age three and up.

Swimming instruction for children should be done by a certified swimming instructor. If you have a local YMCA, this is a great place to start when you're looking for swimming instruction by someone who is qualified.
Don't teach the child yourself, get them enrolled for lessons so they can be taught properly whenever possible.

Choose the right teacher. You can rely on most certified swimming instructors to be competent but it never hurts to interview them. Ask them where they were trained, how long they have been teaching and their approach. Try and choose an instructor that best fits their child’s personality.

Make sure that all kids above the age of 4 attend a certified swimming class or at least learn basic flotation techniques.
Start Early. The sooner the child starts the more comfortable they will be in an around the water. Many YMCAs and recreational city pools offer parent-tot classes beginning as early as 6 months of age. Individual lessons generally start around age 3.
Make sure the child is well rested. Studies demonstrate that children who are well rested are more apt to learn than if they are tired and stressed.
Make sure your child behaves appropriately.

What they learn in swimming class may very well save their life.
Expose children to water early.
Obviously under strict supervision, expose your child to pools, beaches, lakes and let them enjoy themselves around the water. The more experience they have with water the more comfortable they will become.
Practice swimming year around. Just like everything else, children’s skill levels drop when they are not doing the activity. Try and find a pool open in the winter to polish their swimming skills they learned. The more they swim the better they become.
Be a good role model.
Be a safe swimmer yourself.
If parents are fearful or careless around water their children will pick up on those traits.
If you are not a strong swimmer yourself, enroll in swimming lessons along side your child.
Explain the benefits of swimming.
Tell your child why learning to swim is important.
Swimming is good physical exercise, it can be a lifesaver and it is a whole lot of fun.
Be knowledgeable to help with common mistakes.
A parent should strive to know enough about swimming to gently point out common mistakes that young swimmers make. You do not want to have bad habits reinforced away from the watchful eye of a swimming instructor.
Reward success.
Find a reward system that works for you child when they achieve certain swimming goals.
Establish pool safety rules.
Learning to swim is never a substitute for watching what your kids are up to in and around the pool and always supervise their pool activities. Never leave them alone around the pool even for one second.
Never allow kids to run around the pool.
No diving unless the pool is equipped for diving with proper depth.
There is no substitute for adult supervision. Never leave kids alone and keep doors locked that lead to the pool area. Toddlers will find ways to open the doors so locking mechanisms need to be out of reach of the kids.
Whenever possible, have a safety fencing placed around your pool to separate it from the rest of the yard.
There are removable fences available today that look nice and provide the safety you need with kids in the home.
Keep a phone handy when around the pool so you don't have to leave to answer it and it will be readily available in case of emergency.

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