With the end of the year in sight and summer holidays upon us, swimming is a major part of our daily lives.
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 bathtub, 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.
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.
Source: https://showme.co.za CAPTION: Enjoy the time by the pool, but be safe!
