Pool Barrier Guidelines: Preventing Child Drownings.pdf

Each year, thousands of American families suffer swimming pool tragedies—drownings and near-drownings of young children. The majority of deaths and injuries in pools and spas involve young children ages 1 to 3 and occur in residential settings. These tragedies are preventable. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) booklet offers guidelines for pool barriers that can help prevent most submersion incidents involving young children. The guidelines are not a CPSC standard, nor are they mandatory requirements. CPSC believes that the safety features recommended in this booklet will help make pools safer, promote pool safety awareness, and save lives. Barriers are not the sole method to prevent pool drowning of young children and cannot replace adult supervision. Many communities have enacted safety regulations for barriers at residential swimming pools—in ground and above ground. In addition to following these laws, parents who own pools can take their own precautions to reduce the chances of their youngsters accessing the family or neighbors' pools or spas without supervision. This booklet provides tips for creating and maintaining effective barriers to pools and spas.

Swimming pool barrier guidelines are presented with illustrated descriptions of pool barriers. The definition of pool includes spas and hot tubs. The guidelines apply to these structures as well as to above ground pools, and may include larger portable pools. The guidelines take into consideration the variety of barriers (fences) available and where each might be vulnerable to a child wanting to get on the other side.

CPSC publishes an annual report on submersion incidents. Key findings from the 2012 report include: nearly 300 children younger than 5 drown in swimming pools and spas each year, representing 75 percent of the 390 fatalities reported for children younger than 15. Children aged 1 to 3 years represented 67 percent of the reported fatalities and 66 percent of reported injuries in pools and spas. Over 4,100 children younger than 5 suffer submersion injuries and require emergency room treatment; about half are seriously injured and are admitted to the hospital for further treatment. The majority of drownings and submersion injuries involving victims younger than 5 occur in pools owned by the family, friends or relatives. The majority of estimated emergency department-treated submersion injuries and reported fatalities were associated with pools. Portable pools accounted for 10 percent of the total fatalities (annual average of 40) for children younger than 15.