|
SAFE POOLS & SAFE WATER
-
Supervision is always your primary
layer of protection, but many drowning incidents occur when parental
supervision failed and there were no other backup layers in use.
-
Layers of protection must be put in
place to come as close to a failsafe system of preventing drowning
incidents as possible.
-
Fortress: Your pool should be a fortress.
It should take on the order of six keys and two passwords to access.
You safeguard prescription drugs, liquor, fire arms, and poison.
You would never dream of allowing your child to get to any of those
things, no matter the inconvenience to you. Please prevent
unsupervised access to your pool.
Safe Backyard Pools
There are many layers of protection that can be put in place to protect
your family.
-
Access doors to the pool area with high
locks are a layer of protection. In addition to regular doors,
be sure to secure dog doors or any other access openings that lead
to the pool area.
-
Alarms on access doors and openings are another layer of
protection
-
A pool safety barrier such as a fence or
wall separating the pool from your home and all access doors and
entrances is one more layer of protection.
-
Pool alarms can provide another layer of
protection.
-
Providing swimming lessons for a child when is he capable of crawling to the pool
can allow for
another few precious seconds.
-
Keeping a telephone at poolside could
prove to be an invaluable aid in the event of an accident.
-
Do not leave objects in the pool that
could attract your child.
-
"Staging platforms" such as tables and
chairs, should not be kept near a pool fence.
-
Do not allow the pool area to be used as a
play area. The pool is for swimming only. Isolating the
pool area to be used for swimming is the most essential concept of
drowning prevention.
-
CPR and your knowledge of rescue
techniques are a layer of protection should there be an accident.
-
An Emergency Action Plan is a
must for anyone who has a backyard pool.
Every layer of protection possible must be in force at all times or the
system is compromised.
Click to see drowning statistics from
Australia. These are from the
Kids Alive website
. This is good stuff! (Of course, I'd put "Teach Your Kids
To Swim" first!)
Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act: The VGB Pool and Spa Safety Act
was enacted in December 2007 to ensure public safety in pools and spas through
federal regulations that require the use of equipment that protects
against entrapment and evisceration. Specifically, the
legislation requires that pools and spas be equipped with
certified drain covers or grates that meet the required ASME/ANSI
A112.19.8 standards and safety measures to prevent entrapment and
evisceration before December 19, 2008. Make sure the
pools your family uses have been retrofitted or updated to comply with
the VGB Act. You can find out more about the VGB Act at the
website for the Consumer Product Safety Commission at
www.cpsc.gov.
Choose safe pool
toys and use them properly. Only US Coast
Guard approved flotation devices should be considered safety
items. All inflatables and other flotation items are
toys and should be used only by skilled swimmers.
Test swimmers before allowing use of flotation devices.
All swimmers using rafts, rings, noodles, or water wings should
be able to jump into the water, recover to a relaxed back float,
and then swim to the side of the pool unassisted. Swimmers
should also be able to pass a "Dump Test" by demonstrating that
they can recover to a relaxed back float after having fallen off
of an overturned raft or ring.
Do not use water
wings, swimmies, flotation swimming suits, rings, etc. even with
adult supervision. These devices teach a heads-up posture
in the water, arms out to the sides with the back arched and the
knees bent in a bicycling-style kicking pattern. This posture
and action is contrary to that needed for swimming. Read
our complete Flotation
Device Policy.
Do not choose hard
plastic, pre-weighted dive
sticks for underwater play. Instead choose dive rings or
balls or other shapes that cannot result in impalement when landed
on. There are also some new softer dive sticks on the
market. These sticks have to fill with water before they
sink. Some water guns rest on the bottom of the pool while
floating in a vertical position. These can also be dangerous.
Set down definite pool rules
regulating
it's use and more importantly, when it is not in use.
Take advantage of the products
available to safeguard your pool, but remember, all the
technology in the world can't bring back the lifeless body of a
child who drown unnoticed. Watch your children.
Safe Water
Protecting swimmers and their families
is the reason that pool staff at public facilities regularly
check both chlorine and pH levels. Chlorine and pH are the
disinfectant team that are your first defense against germs that
can make swimmers sick. (There are other types of
disinfectants other than chlorine. Chlorine is used here
and at most local pools.)
Chlorine kills germs in pools, but it
takes time to work. It is important to make sure chlorine
levels are always at the levels recommended by the health
department...in Nebraska a minimum or 2.0 ppm is required.
Chlorine needs to be tested regularly
because all sorts of things can reduce chlorine levels in pool
water - sunlight, dirt, debris, and material from swimmer's
bodies.
The time it takes for chlorine to work
is also affected by the pH level of the water.
Germ killing power of chlorine varies
with the pH level. As the pH goes up, the ability of
chlorine to kill germs goes down. Also, a swimmer's body
has a pH between 7.2 and 7.8, so if the pool water isn't kept in
this range swimmers will start to feel irritation of their eyes
and skin.
The best way to kill germs is by
routinely measuring and adjusting both chlorine and pH levels.
Since a few germs can survive for long periods in even the best
maintained pools, it is also important that swimmers become
aware of healthy swimming behaviors: don't swim when ill with
diarrhea, don't swallow pool water, take frequent bathroom
breaks, and practice good hygiene.
Backyard pool owners need to
constantly check the chlorine and pH levels in their pools.
When using any pool it is important to
look at the water carefully before use. You should
be able to clearly see any painted stripes and the bottom drain
in the pool. (Pool operators of outdoor pools in our area
with high usage sometimes close only the deep end of the pool when it becomes impossible to see the bottom. We do not
recommend allowing your child to swim in any part of the pool
under these conditions.)
A well-maintained pool has little
odor. A strong chemical smell indicates a maintenance
problem.
Ask questions of the pool owner or
pool staff. Are chlorine and pH levels checked at least
twice per day.
Finally, practice healthy swimming
behaviors.
-
Refrain from swimming when you have
diarrhea. [***This is best way you can help keep your families and
everyone's families safe from illness.***]
-
Avoid swallowing pool water or even
getting it in your mouth.
-
Shower before swimming and wash your hands
after using the toilet or changing diapers.
-
Take children on bathroom breaks or check
diapers often.
-
Change diapers in a bathroom and not at
poolside and thoroughly clean the diaper changing area.
In the
News...
H1N1
Novel
H1N1 (referred to as "swine flu" early on) is a new influenza virus
causing illness in people. This new virus was first detected
in people in the United States in April 2009. This virus is
spreading from person-to-person worldwide, probably in much the same way
that the seasonal influenza virus spread.
From the
CDC...
Can
novel H1N1 flu virus be spread through water in swimming pools, spas,
water parks, interactive fountains, and other treated recreational water
venues? Influenza viruses infect the human upper
respiratory tract. There has never been a documented case of
influenza virus infection associated with water exposure.
Recreational water that has been treated at CDC recommended disinfectant
levels does not likely pose a risk for transmission of influenza
viruses. No research has been completed on the susceptibility of
novel H1N1 influenza virus to chlorine and other disinfectants used in
swimming pools, spas, water parks, interactive fountains, and other
treated recreational venues. However, recent studies have
demonstrated that free chlorine levels recommended by CDC (1-3 parts per
million for pools and 2-5 parts per million for spas are adequate to
disinfect avian influenza A (H5N1) virus. It is likely that other
influenza viruses such as novel H1N1 virus would also be similarly
disinfected by chlorine.
Can
novel H1N1 influenza virus be spread at recreational water venues
outside of the water? Yes, recreational water venues are
no different than any other group setting. The spread of this
novel H1N1 flu is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal
flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person
through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes
people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it
and then touching their mouth or nose.
Chlorine and Asthma
You may have seen recent news reports about a small study in Europe that
showed a correlation between swimming in chlorinated pools – both indoor
and outdoor pools – and the development of asthma.
This subject has been discussed and studied many times during the
years that I’ve been involved in swimming.
As of this posting, both the American Lung Association and Asthma
UK continue to recommend swimming as a healthy and safe activity.
Dr. Elaine Vickers of Asthma UK said in response to this latest study,
“Asthma develops as a result of a complex mix of genetic and
environmental factors, so more research is needed before we can make a
conclusive link with the use of chemicals in swimming pools.
Swimming is an excellent form of exercise for children with
asthma as it can help improve lung capacity and the warm humid air of
indoor pools is less likely to trigger asthma symptoms.”
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/
If you really want to worry about something, consider the following:
Julian Andelman of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School
of Public Health, the National Academy of Sciences, has shown that
chemicals present in municipal drinking water supplies are especially
toxic to people when they are exposed to them through inhalation as air
pollutants while bathing or showering, especially in the confines of
shower stalls and bathrooms. His
data indicates that hot showers can liberate 50 to 80 percent of the
dissolved chemicals into the air.
(The emissions from hot baths are half as high.)
Source: www.chloramine.org
Yikes!
For now, I’m going to keep swimming and keep showering
– especially showering before swimming!
The Centers for Disease Control &
Prevention (CDC) has many informative web pages, handouts, and
videos.
You can get much more information from
the CDC by clicking
www.healthyswimming.org.
And one more from "Stump the Doc."
Can a wet head cause a cold? Click to see the video
answer.
Questions?
Click to ask Coach Neal.
Water Safety Course Home Page
BACK: Teach Your Child to Swim
NEXT:
Supervision
|
Water
Safety Education