IN Australia, backyard swimming pools are a quintessential way of life, but safety in and around pools must come first, especially when it comes to children and inexperienced swimmers.
To ensure the upmost care is taken to provide the safest swimming environment in backyards this summer, it is highly recommended that pool owners visit the Kidsafe Victoria website at www.kidsafevic.com.au to ensure all fencing and safety regulations have been met.
Some general pool safety tips to get the water splashing and laughter rolling this summer include:
Pools with a water depth greater than 30 centimeters must have a compliant safety barrier to restrict access to the pool area by young children and safety barriers must be a minimum of 1.2 metres high.
Children must be always supervised by adults when swimming, and small children and inexperience swimmers should wear certified life jackets or safety vests.
Entry into the pool should be feet first and avoidance of pool drains should be observed.
Teaching children to swim in designated areas of the pool and in accordance with their swimming ability develops responsibility and trust.
Supervising adults should ideally be CPR and first aid qualified and should only enjoy an alcoholic beverage when all the kids are out of the pool.
