Child safety depends on you. The risk level is the highest when children are younger than 5 years old. Accidents don't
happen only to others. You must be ready to deal with them when they occur!
WATCH AND SUPERVISE ALL CHILDREN IN AND AROUND THE POOL:
•
You must keep a close and continual watch on all children. Designate a single person to be responsible for their
safety. Recruit more attendants as needed;
•
Make flotation devices mandatory for non-swimmers. Allow non-swimmers access to the pool only when wearing
a properly fitting lifejacket or water wings;
•
Teach your children how to swim at the earliest age possible;
•
Wet the back of the neck, arms and legs of each child before they enter the pool;
•
Teach adults and older chidren how to execute li f esaving maneuvers, especially those necessary for saving children;
•
Prohibit all diving and jumping into the pool;
•
Prohibit running near the edge of the pool and rowdy games in the pool;
•
Do not leave toys lying in or near pool; a non-swimmer may fall into the water trying to retrieve a toy;
•
Keep the water warm and clean;
•
Keep water treatment chemicals out of the reach of children;
•
Position all filtration equipment, chairs and other objects at least 3 feet away from the pool wall so children
cannot climb them and access the pool. Also, remove or disable the pool ladder when the pool is not in use.
THINK AHEAD:
•
Keep a telephone accessible and near the pool, so that you will not leave your children unattended when you are
on the phone;
•
Keep a life preserver and a sheperd's pole near the pool;
Althought some equipment can help raise the level of safety, NO AMOUNT
OF EQUIPMENT CAN REPLACE THE NEED TO CONSTANTLY WATCH ALL CHILDREN!:
•
Keep a safety fence around your pool, and keep the gate closed all the time. Remember hedges
and non-permanent objects cannot be considered part of a barrier or fence;
•
Keep manual and automatic protective covers correctly in place and attached;
•
Keep electronic movement or fall detectors in service and operational.
IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT:
•
Take the child out of the water as quickly as possible;
•
Call for help immediately and follow the instructions given to you;
•
Replace wet clothes with warm blankets;
•
Memorize first aid numbers and post them near the pool.
Source of information – Normes françaises NF90-302
Annexe A
Child Safety Instructions
77