VRYHEID KZN: Safety around the pool

With the end of the year in sight and summer holiday close enough to touch,
swimming is becoming a bigger part of our daily lives again. However, this
brings more responsibility to protect your children against harm.
Here are some safety tips for parents and pool owners:
Never leave a child unattended near any source of water, even a bath tub, fish
pond or water bucket.
If you have a pool or water feature, get a safety cover fitted by a reputable
supplier. Don't secure a pool and ignore a pond or fountain! Check the cover
fasteners regularly and replace them as soon as they weather or break – they are
crucial to the effectiveness of such covers.
If your children visit friends whose pools are not secure, urge the parents to fit
a safety pool cover.
Check the weight tolerance of any safety cover you purchase.
Make sure that your pool is fenced and fitted with a self-closing and self-
latching gate that opens to the outside of the pool. The latch should be out of
reach of children.
A swimming pool fence is not a substitute for supervision – close the pool
completely.
Don't leave toys in or right next to a pool – children will be tempted to retrieve
them.

Also read:Be safe around water: on the beach and around swimming pools

Display a safety chart with emergency numbers on your pool fence.
Keep your cellphone or cordless phone near the pool so that you can call 10177
in an emergency.
Ensure that every adult in the home, including domestic workers, knows how to
perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
As soon as a child is found in a pool, start CPR and do not stop until emergency
services arrive on the scene. It can make the difference between a full recovery,
brain damage and death.
Discourage walking or playing on any pool cover. Fit a sensor beam if your
children tend to flout the rules.
If your child has suddenly gone quiet or wandered off, check the pool first.
Even a minute can make the difference between survival, irreversible brain
damage and death.
Empty baths, basins and nappy buckets immediately after use.
Never leave the pool area unattended even for a moment; take the children with
you if you leave.
It is a good idea to learn how to swim and teach the children to swim. However,
a child who knows how to swim is not out of danger. He or she stills needs
supervision at all times.

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