Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Owning a pool can offer hours of endless warm-weather fun for your friends and family, but with pool ownership comes the responsibility of keeping yourself and your guests safe. To help, pool supply and repair company Leslie's breaks down pool safety into three key areas: learning to swim, securing pool areas and maintaining healthy water.Learn to swim. A national survey by the American Red Cross found that more than half of all Americans (54 percent) either can't swim or lack basic swim safety skills.
- Enroll yourself or your child in swimming lessons to build lifelong confidence in water.
- Don't allow running, dunking or rough play in the pool area.
- Swim with a friend who can help in case of emergency.
- Watch children at all times while they are in or around the pool.
Secure the area. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 150 children younger than 15 drowned in pools and spas last summer.
- Install and maintain safety fences with locking gates surrounding the pool.
- Block and secure pool entry access points such as ladders and stairs.
- Use a safety cover or net to prevent pool access when the pool is not in use.
- Use a pool alarm to alert you when the surface of the pool has been disturbed.
- Regularly inspect pool fences, gates, locks and latches for needed repairs.
- Secure access points from the home, such as exterior doors and windows – don't forget about pet doors.
Maintain healthy water. The Centers for Disease Control says that thousands of recreational water-associated disease outbreaks are reported each year.
- Test pool water regularly.
- Test water at home between in-store tests.
- Follow required filter time and flow, keep skimmer baskets and pumps clean, and check filter media to ensure proper filtration.
"A pool is a wonderful place for recreation, exercise and entertaining, but safety is key," says Leslie's president and CEO Steve Ortega.
Source: Leslie's
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