Swimming Pool Safety Tips

By Sarah Parker Ward

We all love going to the swimming pool in the summer, whether it’s going to the local swim center or heading out back to your peaceful oasis. But while a day at the pool is fun, it is also potentially dangerous. Slips and falls lead to cuts and scrapes, and drowning incidents are unfortunately far more common than you might think: Unintentional drowning is the leading cause of death in children under age five, and the majority of those incidents happen at home pools.

Keep everyone safe at the pool this summer with these six tips for adults – and for adults to teach children.

• Keep Home Pools Gated: If you have a backyard pool, it is best to keep it fully gated to make it difficult for any child – either yours or one from the neighborhood – to wander in without an adult present. There are also new pool covers and motion sensor alarm technologies available as second and third layers of safety for unsupervised pools.
• Walk, Don’t Run: Pools are usually surrounded by hard surfaces; make sure your kids move calmly about the edges of the pool so that slips and falls don’t lead to scrapes and bruises – or unintended falls into the water.
• Always Be Present: Whether there's an active lifeguard or not, staying aware of your surroundings is an important part of pool safety for yourself and others. Keep children under active supervision at all times. Stay in arm’s reach of young children. Do not be on your cell phone or engaged in any other activity that takes your eyes off your children if they are swimming. In drownings, every second counts.
• Use the Buddy System: No one should ever swim alone, anywhere. In crowded pools, teach kids to swim with a friend, using the rule that their buddy should never be more than an arm’s length away.
• Become CPR-Certified: Nearly 70 percent of Americans may feel completely helpless during an emergency drowning as they’ve either never received CPR training or their training has significantly lapsed. Yet, this simply tactic can be a life-saving maneuver.
• Teach Your Children to Swim: A no brainer? You might be surprised. Many people simply do not know how to swim, which inherently puts them at an increased risk near water. Enrolling your child into learn-to-swim program can provide them the physical understanding they need to keep themselves afloat both in times of fun and danger.

The pool is a great place to bond as a family and find some healthy, restful activity. However, a safe experience means being prepared by understanding these swimming pool safety tips and conveying them to other swimmers under your supervision.

©Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. 2016