Due to climate change and unpredicted weather conditions, South Africa has in the past years seen temperatures climb above normal and the country has experienced a few heat waves.
These hot weather conditions compel people, young and old, to find refuge in swimming pools to cool themselves off.
It is during this period that municipalities’ emergency services and private companies are inundated with calls to respond to drowning incidents.
According to Home Advisor, a digital marketplace, these are some pool safety tips that you can use to prevent drownings at home:
- Install a fence. Surround the pool with a safety fence that’s at least 1.2m tall. This safety fence should have self-closing and self-latching gates.
- Install a swimming pool cover. Installing and using a swimming pool cover can help keep people out of the pool when a supervisor or lifeguard is not around.
- Install door locks. Check out automatic door locks and alarms on the doors that lead to the pool and install them if you can.
- Keep toys out of the water after swimming. Remove all of the toys from the water and put them away after swimming so they don’t lure children who may not know how to swim.
- Take regular breaks. Swimmers should not let themselves get exhausted, as that will put their lives in danger and leads to unnecessary drowning incidents.
- Keep water safety devices on hand. Foam or air-filled water toys are not life-saving devices, so do not use things such as inner tubes, water wings, or pool noodles for that purpose.
- Never swim while you are intoxicated. Alcohol impairs judgement and unnecessary risks are taken. An intoxicated swimmer will tire more easily, increasing the chance of an accident or drowning.
Related Articles
