No matter the size or depth of your above ground pool, it’s important to practice proper pool safety. Above ground pool safety includes both equipment and pool rules. A drowning situation does not take long to develop.
Take your pool safety seriously. This easy guide will help make sure you know how to make your above ground pool is safe for all swimmers.
Above Ground Pool Safety Rules
- Learn life-saving techniques including basic first aid, water rescue kills, and CPR.
- Practice emergency drills with your family so that everyone will be prepared.
- Find a local class and get yourself, your spouse, and your teenage children certified.
- Make sure everyone using the pool knows how to swim and tread water.
- Even for swimmers using floaties and babies, make sure you teach them how to swim and behave in the water.
- Never allow children to use the pool unsupervised.
- No matter how good a swimmer your kids are, supervise children at all times when they’re using the pool.
- Communicate the pool rules with your children and enforce them strongly.
- You can put up safety/warning signs around or on the wall of your pool as reminders.
- Make sure you’re pool is equipped with the proper safety equipment (see below).
Above Ground Pool Safety Equipment
On top of proper life-saving skills and pool safety rules, proper safety equipment will ensure your above ground pool is safe for everyone.
Life-saving equipment
- While it may seem like overkill, proper pool life-saving equipment can prevent an emergency.
- Nearby every pool should be a lifesaver buoy and rope, a shepard’s hook, and a lifesaving tube.
- Designate these as lifesaving equipment and make sure the kids know they’re only to be used in case of an emergency.
Anti-entrapment/safety ladder
- Small children getting stuck trying to swim under a pool’s ladder is a common cause of drowning.
- Purchase a ladder that closes the gap between the ladder and the wall.
- Make a rule that your kids are not to play around the ladder.
Use a safety cover
- A sturdy, secured cover not only helps keep debris out of the pool, it also prevents unsupervised swimmers from entering the pool on their own.
- Make sure the cover is properly secured and solid so that it won’t collapse in case someone tries to walk across it.
Install a pool fence or gate
- A fence around your pool with a child lock is a great way to keep the kids out when they’re not supposed to be swimming.
Purchase a pool alarm
- Pool alarms and sensors come in a variety of prices of designs – some are submerged, some use infrared, some affix to the ladder.
- The alarm will sound when someone or something enters the pool when they’re not supposed to.
Make sure there are no shocking hazards around your pool equipment
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to safety install and set up your pool’s pump and any other electrical systems.
- Be sure no cords or wires are wet.
- Pool equipment (pumps, lights, etc.) should be plugged directly into a GFCI outlet without an extension cord.
- Inspect your pool’s electrical equipment regularly for any potential hazards.
Store your chemicals in a secure place where your kids can’t get them
- Pool chemicals can be extremely hazardous.
- Be sure you store them far out of the reach of children and that lids and caps are tightly secured.
- Keep them away from any heat sources.
Above ground pool safety doesn’t take much, but it is important to think about and keep top of mind. Be safe and enjoy your above ground swimming pool!