Stay Safe - Swimming Pool Safety
Installing a pool security system will give you peace of mind. But therein lies another danger: that of complacency.
We've worked with some of our clients who have children to develop a a set of practical swimming pool safety guidelines that, in combination with your Du Toit pool safety system, should eliminate any possibility of an accident.
Develop Your Own Pool Rules
Every pool and every home is different. So think through a set of swimming pool safety rules that will apply to your pool. There's no need to write a 12 page Health & Safety document. But in most cases, you should:
- Define the pool area
- Define who is allowed in, and when
- Agree how you will ensure that any visitor to the house is aware of your pool rules.
- Define what actions should be taken in the event of an accident.
Example
The following swimming pool safety rules were developed by a client of Du Toit Associates with a 2 year old daughter:
"Our pool area runs along the front of the house, accessible through security gates on the front lawn, the summer kitchen, the back lawn and the lower poolhouse.
Children are not allowed into the pool area except under the supervision of one adult who has explicitly agreed to accept responsibility for their safety at all times.
We will tell all visitors to our house that:
- we take swimming pool safety very seriously
- the circumstances under which our child or anyone else's is allowed in the pool
- we insist that visitors follow this rule and do nothing which might break it (like propping open a gate for some reason).
We will keep a record of emergency telephone numbers and first aid procedures displayed in the summer kitchen."
