One of the most important steps to securing the safety of your pool is having the right safety accessories on hand. Life preserver rings, safety ropes, safety hooks, safety signage, life jackets, and pool floats all have a crucial role to play in the safety of anybody using your pool. We’ll take a look at the importance of these accessories in the article below.
Why Do We Need Safety Accessories?
Every pool owner also has certain responsibilities that come with their pool. Chief among these responsibilities is ensuring a high level of pool safety and safety accessories to mitigate the risk of serious injuries occurring on your property.
There is also an inherent risk to any body of water that must be respected. According to the CDC, an average of 3,957 unintentional drowning deaths occurred each year from 2010–2019.
There is also an issue of legal liability. If somebody sustains an injury in or around your pool, you may be liable for the medical expenses and other hardships they incur as a result of that injury.
Not taking steps to properly ensure the safety of your pool, such as failing to have proper safety accessories on hand, can put yourself and other is unnecessary danger.
Life Preserver Rings
A life preserver ring is one of the most basic safety accessories. Having somebody struggling to stay afloat in your pool can be one of the most pressing emergencies that any pool owner can be faced with.
Knowing how to react properly to this emergency can quite literally make the difference in a life and death situation. Trying to physically drag somebody out of the water risks the rescuer being put in harm’s way. This is what makes a life preserver ring such an essential safety accessory for your pool.
The life preserver ring can be tossed to the individual in need, providing them with a viable flotation device to grab onto. A good life preserver ring should be made from durable, buoyant material to ensure proper flotation.
It can also help to have a high level of color contrast on this accessory, such as the traditional white and red-striped design, to ensure the ring is visible when it’s needed.
A sturdy rope attached to the life preserver ring will allow you to easily pull in the person who needs to be removed from the water.
Safety Hook
Having as many possible safety accessories at your disposal in case of an emergency in or around your pool is the best practice for pool safety. In addition to your life preserver ring, a safety hook can be used to remove somebody struggling in the water.
These hooks can be grabbed onto by the struggling person or hooked around them to pull them towards the edge of the pool. The benefit of these safety hooks is similar to the benefit offered by life preserver rings in that they allow the rescue to occur without putting the rescuer in danger.
Find a pool hook with an adequate length to reach any area of your pool while standing safely on the edge of the water. A telescoping rod for the hook can help you quickly adjust the device to suit the situation that you’re faced with.
Safety Ropes
Every swimmer has a different skill level and comfort in the water. Safety ropes can provide an added safety measure for anyone swimming in your pool.
Safety ropes should be placed in your pool to mark the area where the water becomes deeper. This can warn young or inexperienced swimmers to stay on the shallow end of the pool.
The safety rope can also be used by swimmers if they are having trouble staying afloat. Swimmers can grab ahold of the rope to keep themselves above water while help is on the way.
Buoys are often times added to these safety ropes to maximize their visibility and add buoyancy. Buoys are typically brightly-colored for increased visibility.
Signs
While it may seem like a simple thing, having proper signage around your pool is one of the most important safety accessories to have. Simple reminders of proper pool safety etiquette, such as “no running” or “no diving”, can provide necessary reminders for anyone who sees them.
Another important aspect of safe pool signage is marking the depths of different areas of your pool. Jumping or diving into water that is too shallow can lead to serious injuries.
Use signs to mark the depth of your pool along the edge in a visible place. This can help swimmers know if and where safe to jump or dive into the water to minimize the risk of injury.
Life Jackets
While most people associate life jackets with water activities that take place outside of pools, such as boating or kayaking, but they are great safety accessories to have around your pool.
Non-swimmers, inexperienced swimmers, or small children who are around your pool can wear life jacket in case they fall in to keep them afloat. A variety of sizes can help ensure life jackets properly and can provide the required support.
It’s also important to remember that flotation devices like life jackets aren’t a substitute for other safe practices. You should never leave children unattended when they’re in or near your pool, even if they’re wearing proper safety accessories or safety practices.
Pool Floats
Pool floats are often times used for relaxation or play in the water. These devices have uses that go beyond simple recreation.
They can also be used to help make your pool safer for everyone swimming in it, especially when you’re dealing with swimmers who may not be fully confident in their abilities quite yet.
A pool float in your pool creates something buoyant that anyone struggling in the water can grab hold of to avoid a dangerous situation. While this isn’t a replacement for other safety accessories, it can provide another tool at your disposal to avoid dangerous situations in or around your pool.
Stock up on your pool safety accessories at a local pool supply store, like Clean Water Pools & Spas or Florh Pools, or order online. Wherever you’re getting your pool safety accessories from, the most important thing is that you have them and they are ready to be used before you open your pool for the season. When you’re ready to open your pool, contact Taylor Farms Water Hauling for all your pool water needs.
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Taylor Farm’s Water Hauling is the area’s leader in water delivery for West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and limited areas of Pennsylvania. You may contact us online or call us at 304.229.1194. We deliver water for any size swimming pool or hot tub, ponds, and cisterns. We also provide potable water for events and emergency services.
