Drowning is Silent: Portable Pools

Portable pools are affordable and easy to transport, but they can be just as dangerous as any other pool. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received an average of 35 reports of deaths of children under the age of 5 in portable pools each year. These pools account for 11% of all pool drownings for children that age. You can prevent these deaths.

If a portable pool, either large or small, is in your plans or already in your yard, follow these simple steps:

  • Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa, and always watch your child when he or she is in or near water
  • Keep children away from pool drains, pipes, and other openings to avoid entrapments
  • Have a telephone close by when you or your family is using a pool or spa
  • If a child is missing, look for him or her in the pool or spa first
  • Share safety instructions with family, friends, and neighbors
  • Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim
  • Learn to perform CPR on children and adults, and update those skills regularly
  • Understand the basics of life-saving so that you can assist in a pool emergency
  • Install a four foot or taller fence around the pool and spa and use self-closing and self-latching gates, and ask you neighbors to do the same at their pools
  • Install and use a lockable safety cover on your spa
  • If your house serves as a fourth side of a fence around a pool, install doors alarms and always use them for additional protection, and install window guards on windows facing pools or spas
  • Install pool and gate alarms to alert you when children go near the water
  • Ensure any pool and spa you use has compliant drain covers, and ask your pool service provider if you do not know
  • Maintain pool and spa covers in good working order
  • Consider using a surface wave or underwater alarm.

Simple steps save lives. Find more pool safety guidelines and safety videos at PoolSafety.gov. Whether the pool is a small blow-up pool or a huge structure with rigid sides, portable pools are often left full of water and unsupervised. Just like in-ground pools, portable need barriers and fencing that keep unsupervised children out. Empty and store small portable pools when you are not using them. Cover larger ones.

The New York personal injury attorneys at Hach & Rose, LLP have successfully handled diving, drowning, and many other types of recreational accident cases. Contact us at (212) 779-0057 today for advice on your specific case.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What’s in Your Kitchen?  Whoopie Pies, Drinks, Raisins, and Chickpea Salad

What’s in Your Kitchen? MakeFoodSafe.com would like to help you keep your family safe from unsafe foods.  Each week we bring together a list of the current recalls.  Some recalls are issued due to undeclared allergens, which could cause serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if someone sensitive to the product consumes it.  Other recalls are issued due to contamination with harmful material or other health risk.  Check back often and evaluate your fridge, pantry, and shopping list to make sure you can identify which foods to avoid. Stewart’s Shops Corp Recalls Cranberry Apple Refresher Due to Undeclared Allergen Stewarts Shops Corp of Saratoga Springs, New York issued a recall on October 17, 2018 for their approximately 2,300 units of Cranberry Apple Refresher due to the undeclared allergen, milk.  Those with an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk risk serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if the product is consumed. The recall was initiated...
Read more

Injury Data Reveals Infrastructure Need for E-Scooter Riders in NY

The uptick in electric scooter riding in New York City has come with a slew of complications, including a rising number of scooter-related injuries . New York City leaders and scooter company officials alike are weighing their options for creating a safer transit environment for these e-scooters. One recent report suggests that the most promising option is to create more third-lane, or bike lane, options for electric scooters. This report, compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), found that most people who are injured in scooter accidents were riding on a sidewalk at the time of their accident. Their research suggests that scooter riders often do not feel safe enough to share the road with cars, so they opt for using sidewalks when bike lanes are not available. While this may keep scooter riders safe from colliding with vehicles, it puts pedestrians who use sidewalks at a greater risk. The data show that three out of every five scooter riders who were injured s...
Read more

Food Safety Better at Fast Food or Full-Service Restaurants?

When you go out to eat, there is a level of trust you are putting in the hands of the people who are preparing your food.  There are regulations in place, health department inspections, and a cleanliness factor you expect of a food establishment.  But the bottom line is, a large number of foodborne illnesses occur as a result of eating at a fast food or full-service restaurant establishment.  According to the FDA Report on the Occurrence of Foodborne Illness Risk Factors in Fast Food and Full Service Restaurants, 2013-2014, prepared by the FDA National Retail Food Team, “Consumer demand for food away from home has led to increased spending in both fast food and full-service restaurants.”  According to the study, there are over one million restaurants employing more than 14 million food service workers. So, food safety as it related to fast food and food service is a thing. Food borne illness is serious.  According to the Center for Disease Control and Preventi...
Read more