Safety Devices

Barriers

Barriers will slow a child's access to the water, but no barrier is guaranteed to stop a child. The great majority of fatal drownings or near-drownings included a breached barrier. It's very easy to lose track of a child for one minute or more.

  • Establish several layers of barriers to make sure the child does not have enough time to get past all of them.
  • Install self-latching, self-closing gates with fences at least four feet high completely separating the pool from the backyard and house. Always lock the gate and never prop the gate open.
  • Keep spas and hot tubs covered & locked when not in use.
  • If you have a pet door to backyard. You need a 4-sided fence to separate pool from the yard.
  • If you have a large above ground pool that cannot be emptied easily, put a fence around it with a gate that locks.
  • Cover pool and spa drains with safety guards or drain covers so the suction can’t entrap an adult or child.
  • Install door alarms to sound if a child goes out to the pool area.
  • Use pool alarms to notify if anyone or anything enters the water.
  • Install pool covers that support the weight of an adult or more without collapsing into the water.

Reduce or eliminate a child's attraction to the water

  • Remove toys from around pools
  • Empty buckets
  • Drain bathtubs after use
  • Keep toilet seat closed and use toilet seat locks

For information on:

  1. Pool fencing: look in business telephone directories under Pool Fencing/Pool Fence Companies
  2. Door alarms: look in business telephone directories under Home Improvement/Hardware Stores
  3. Visit: The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals® at apsp.org for a complete list of builders, retailers and service companies in the area