Hidden Danger: Pool Fences and Gates You’ve installed a 4-foot-tall or higher fence around your pool, with a top-of-the-line self-closing, self-latching gate, as required by many local jurisdictions. So you’re all set, right? Think again. Gates can break, open gate doors can get stuck in cement, and residents can prop open gates with rocks, to name just a few possible scenarios. “Ninety-nine out of 100 times [in accidents], the pool gate was not closed,” says Juliet Falevitch, spokesperson for the Phoenix Fire Department. In 2003, Phoenix had 61 pool-related injuries at community pools and home pools, with 11 fatalities.
Safer Solution: Do safety checks. “The one thing I would ask of them [apartment managers] is to check to make sure that the gates are secure and working properly,” Hinton says. Your maintenance staff should check the pool at least once a day to ensure that the fencing is secure and the gate is working properly.
In addition to daily checks, Fogelman Management Group, a Memphis, Tenn.-based firm, does a quarterly inspection based on pool safety guidelines. “We review the pool site regularly to make sure that all policies and guidelines are being followed,” says John Barger, Fogelman’s director of real estate services. Plus most pools are within view of a property’s leasing office so business managers can keep an eye out for safety hazards, such as gates propped open.
Since many jurisdictions don’t require lifeguards at multifamily communities, experts stress the importance of having several layers of protection. In addition to a self-closing, self-latching gate, install a keyed entry, which runs only about $100, suggests Gerald Dworkin, an aquatics safety and water rescue consultant at Lifesaving Resources Inc. in Harrisville, N.H. Other safety precautions include no-diving signs displayed prominently around the pool in areas less than 9 feet deep, alarms on doors and windows leading to the pool area, lifelines separating the shallow from the deep end of the pool, and signs warning adults to supervise children at all times. Also, make sure there is a nearby telephone that dials 911 directly.
Hidden Danger: Unexpected Details You think you did your best to follow regulations set forth by the state or local jurisdiction. You’re not positive you’ve met the standards, but you figure you did an adequate job. Then a child enters the pool by pushing the gate open.
Safer Solution: Get expert advice. When it comes to pool safety, details mean the difference between life and death. Your mistake: Codes require gates to swing outward rather than inward because it is easier for a child to push a gate than pull it open. Have a professional inspect your pool to ensure that your community is code-compliant. Groups like the American Red Cross, fire department, and police department will gladly inspect your properties for no fee.
Hidden Danger: Faulty Drains At the bottom of the pool, a drain cover is loose or missing. A resident puts his or her hand in the pipe and is trapped by the resulting suction. The CPSC has reported 73 cases of body entrapment, including 12 confirmed deaths, between January 1990 and October 2003.
Safer Solution: Inspect and upgrade drains. Make sure the drain cover is securely fastened to the bottom of the pool. (An antivortex cover is recommended.) As part of their daily survey of the pool area, maintenance workers should check the cover. If they can’t tell whether the cover is fastened, they should turn the pump switch off–making very sure that it’s off–jump in, and check the cover. It’s essential that all maintenance personnel know the location of the emergency shut-off switch for the pool’s pump.
Upgrades are another option. The National Swimming Pool Foundation recommends dual-drain systems. How-ever, a dual-drain retrofit can cost as much as $3,500. A less expensive alternative, costing between $500 and $1,500, is the Stingl Switch made by Stingl Products LLC, which shuts downs the pump and sounds alarms if the drain’s vacuum increases. The company does recommend using additional safeguards.