Having a pool in your backyard can be a lot of fun, spending warm summer days relaxing with the family or hosting neighbourhood pool parties.
At the same time, pools can be at least a little bit dangerous and safety should always be a top priority. Since you don’t want to have to deal with the nightmare of an accident happening in the pool and on your watch, you’ll want to implement the following safety tips and tricks ASAP.
Install a high quality fence around the perimeter
In the city of Ottawa, you are required by law to have a functioning enclosure around your pool. Every enclosure must be at least 5 ft (1.5 metres) in height and comply with specific requirements. The fence must be at least 3 ft (1 metre) from the “nearest wetted surface” of the pool, and all openings of the fence “must be of a size to prevent the passage of a 100 mm (4 in) spherical object.” There are also precise requirements for gates and doors. For example, all gates must be self-latching with a lock located at least 4’5” (1.35 metres) from the bottom of the enclosure.
At Fence One, we are extremely familiar with all aspects of the City of Ottawa’s requirements for pool enclosures, from the initial permit process through successful installation. We are Ottawa’s preferred choice among pool fence builders. Safety is a priority, but we believe pool fences should also be attractive parts of your outdoor design.
Make sure that your pool area is well lit
Of course, you are also going to want to make sure that you were pool area is as well-lit as it can be.
LED lights are very inexpensive to operate, and on top of that they are very bright and add a tremendous amount of safety to your pool area. Get these set up pronto and you won’t have to worry about any accidents or incidents happening in your pool area just because it was poorly lit.
Don’t allow people to use the pool unattended or alone
At the end of the day, it’s going to be absolutely impossible for you to eliminate every and any potential accident from happening in your pool area.
This is why you are going to want to make sure that everyone that uses the pool does so with someone else around, and that no one even thinks about sneaking into your pool area without someone around to help.
This goes for children and adults alike, regardless of how experienced a swimmer they may be. There is no reason to take any risks.