Quick Answers
There are some key things you should avoid doing in a pool for safety and hygiene reasons:
– Don’t swim if you have open wounds, infections, or contagious illnesses. Chlorine doesn’t kill everything.
– Don’t pee or poop in the pool. It’s unsanitary and gives off chemicals that irritate eyes and skin.
– Don’t run on slick, wet surfaces. It’s easy to slip and fall.
– Don’t dive in shallow areas. Hitting the bottom can cause serious neck and head injuries.
– Don’t swallow pool water. It has chlorine and other chemicals that can make you sick if ingested.
– Don’t leave children unsupervised near water. Kids can drown in seconds and silently.
– Don’t swim during thunderstorms. Lightning can electrocute you in the water.
– Don’t drink alcohol and swim. It impairs judgement and coordination.
– Don’t push or dunk people. It can cause panic, injuries, and fights.
– Don’t wear glass eyewear in the pool. If it breaks, the shards can cut people.
– Don’t play with pool chemicals. They can burn skin and eyes or be poisonous if ingested.
Hygiene Dangers
Pools can be breeding grounds for germs and bacteria if proper hygiene isn’t followed. Some key hygiene mistakes to avoid include:
– Don’t swim when you have diarrhea. Fecal accidents in pools spread germs easily.
– Don’t swallow pool water. It can transmit bacteria, viruses, and parasites like Cryptosporidium, Giardia, E. coli, norovirus, and legionella.
– Don’t pee or poop in the pool. Urine and feces significantly raise the amount of irritants in pool chemicals and can spread disease. Even a small amount of pee from a few swimmers creates a mix of irritating chemicals.
– Don’t swim with open wounds, infections, or while ill with something contagious. Germs from sores, eyes, ears, and noses can be transmitted in pools through mucus, saliva, or blood.
– Don’t share goggles, caps, nose clips, or ear plugs. This spreads pink eye and ear infections easily.
– Don’t chew gum or eat in the pool. Dropped items can spread contamination quickly.
– Don’t share drinks near the pool. Backwash of pool water into beverages can spread germs to multiple people.
– Don’t share towels between people. Towels hold germs that lead to fungal and bacterial infections.
Preventing Fecal Accidents
One of the worst hygiene dangers in pools comes from fecal accidents. To avoid this:
– Take kids on frequent bathroom breaks and check diapers often.
– Teach kids to exit the pool if they feel like they might have a bowel movement.
– Don’t swim if you have diarrhea or haven’t had a solid bowel movement in over 48 hours.
– Shower before swimming to rinse off any fecal matter around the anus.
– Follow proper hygiene like hand washing after using the restroom or changing diapers.
If a fecal accident does occur:
– Everyone should exit the pool immediately.
– The pool should be closed for 24-48 hours for proper disinfection.
– The water should be shocked with chlorine to kill germs.
– The accident area should be vacuumed and cleaned thoroughly.
Proper precautions can help stop the spread of germs from fecal incidents.
Chemical Hazards
Pool chemicals help keep water sanitary but also pose dangers if mishandled:
– Don’t let pool water mix with cleaning chemicals like acid. This can create toxic gases.
– Don’t add chemicals together. Some combinations make poisonous fumes or explosives.
– Don’t play with or drink pool chemicals. Ingesting them can burn the mouth and throat or poison you.
– Don’t inhale chemical powders or vapors. Inhaling concentrated chlorine gases burns lungs.
– Don’t let chemicals get on skin or in eyes. Pool chemicals can cause rashes or burns and irritate mucous membranes.
– Don’t store chemicals near heat. Heat can make chemicals more volatile and unstable.
– Don’t mix different types of chlorine like calcium hypochlorite and sodium hypochlorite. Doing so causes explosive reactions.
– Don’t use a vacuum in a pool if acid was just added. This spreads acidic gas vapors.
– Don’t add pool chemicals in bulk rapidly. Doing so can cause over-chlorination accidents.
– Don’t allow children near pool chemicals or chemical storage rooms. Kids are more vulnerable to chemical fumes or accidents.
Always add pool chemicals carefully by following instructions. Wear goggles and gloves and work in ventilated areas.
Preventing Over-Chlorination
Adding too much chlorine too quickly can lead to over-chlorination. To prevent this:
– Read chemical labels and follow usage instructions carefully.
– Use proper safety equipment like goggles, gloves, and masks when handling chemicals.
– Add chlorine slowly in small increments. Don’t dump directly.
– Allow time for chlorine to circulate fully before adding more.
– Test chlorine levels frequently with test strips.
– Shut off pool pumps before adding chemicals to prevent vapors forming.
– Check for chemical reactions like clouding or strong odors after adding chlorine or other chemicals.
– Ventilate indoor pool areas during and after adding chemicals.
Over-chlorination requires immediate response. Symptoms include strong chlorine smell, eye and skin irritation, difficulty breathing, and visibility issues. If over-chlorination occurs:
– Evacuate swimmers from the water immediately.
– Turn on pool ventilation systems.
– Remove pool covers to help gas escape.
– Test and adjust chemical levels down to proper concentrations.
– Don’t allow swimming again until chlorine stabilizes at normal levels per pool codes.
Being vigilante when adding chemicals reduces over-chlorination risk.
Physical Safety Risks
Pools can also pose physical hazards. Here are key things to avoid:
– Don’t dive in shallow areas. Shallow diving often causes catastrophic head and neck injuries. Dive only from marked deep diving spots.
– Don’t push people into pools. Forcefully shoving people risks head, neck or back injuries from hitting the bottom or sides. Serious paralysis can occur.
– Don’t run on slick pool surfaces. Running near pools often leads to falls and head injuries or broken limbs. Walk slowly.
– Don’t engage in breath holding contests. This can cause shallow water blackouts and drowning.
– Don’t swim through crowded pool areas. Kicking other swimmers can cause injuries or panic leading to drowning.
– Don’t swim while intoxicated on alcohol or drugs. Being impaired increases drowning risk significantly.
– Don’t use pools during severe weather with lightning or tornadoes. Lightning can electrocute you in the water.
– Don’t use metal diving boards during storms. Lightning is conducted through metal easily.
– Don’t swim with glass bottles or breakable objects. Broken shards can cut people if accidents occur.
– Don’t hyperventilate before swimming long distances. This can cause shallow water blackout.
– Don’t climb, sit, or play on lane lines. Lane lines aren’t strong enough to support weight and can snap suddenly.
Preventing Diving Injuries
To avoid catastrophic diving injuries:
– Install depth markers and “No Diving” signage.
– Don’t allow diving in water less than 9 feet deep.
– Teach proper diving form like keeping your body straight, arms extended, and no bouncing on the board.
– Only do forward facing dives, not flips or twists which are riskier.
– Pay attention to pool bottom slope. Steep slopes are more dangerous.
– Dive straight ahead, not off the sides.
– Ensure good underwater visibility before diving. Murky water hides obstacles.
– No alcohol consumption before diving. Being impaired increases risks.
– Don’t allow diving after dark when it’s harder to gauge water depth.
– Prevent horseplay or showing off with risky dives to impress others. Peer pressure leads to bad choices.
– Install grip handles along the sides in deep areas for people to hold when swimming there.
Taking steps to prevent dangerous diving prevents injuries.
Supervising Children
Kids require constant supervision around water. Never leave them unattended even for a minute. To properly supervise kids:
– Designate an adult “water watcher” who focuses just on the kids. Take turns with other adults. Don’t get distracted.
– Keep kids within arm’s reach of an adult if they aren’t strong swimmers, ideally in shallow end. Use touch supervision for non-swimmers.
– Enroll kids in swim lessons to learn water safety and skills. However, lessons don’t replace supervision.
– Have kids take frequent breaks from swimming to re-hydrate and use the restroom. This prevents accidents.
– Establish and enforce rules like no running near the pool, no diving in shallow areas, no rough play, etc.
– Use Coast Guard approved floatation devices on kids under 13 but don’t use inflatable inner tubes or toys in place of vests.
– Keep safety equipment poolside like shepherd’s hooks, life rings, and first aid kits in case of emergencies.
– For larger events with many kids, utilize colored wristbands to easily identify swimmers vs weak swimmers vs non-swimmers at a glance.
– Avoid distractions. Put phones away and focus all attention on watching the water.
Drowning Dangers
Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional death for kids ages 1-14. To prevent it:
– Actively supervise children at all times around water without distractions. Designate an adult to be the “water watcher”.
– Don’t rely on swimming lessons or floatation devices to make kids “drown proof”.
– Use barriers like pool fences with self-latching, self-closing gates to prevent unauthorized access.
– Learn CPR and keep CPR instructions posted visibly poolside.
– Enroll kids in swim lessons but still actively supervise them.
– Remove all toys from the pool after use so kids aren’t tempted to reach for them.
– Check the pool first if a child goes missing. Seconds matter in preventing death.
– Empty all flotation devices, buckets, and other containers of water after use to avoid drowning hazards.
– Remove slides, diving boards, and other structures if you have young children. These pose risks.
Constant adult supervision is key to preventing childhood drowning. Barriers, rules, preparedness and training further reduce risks around pools.
Pool Rules for Safety
Having pool rules helps minimize dangers. Here are important rules to establish:
– No running near the pool – walk slowly.
– No pushing or rough play.
– No diving in shallow areas.
– No glass allowed near the pool. Use plastic drinkware.
– No alcohol consumption if swimming.
– Close the pool during severe weather like lightning storms or tornados.
– No chewing gum or eating food in the pool.
– Take regular breaks to hydrate and use the restroom.
– Shower before entering the pool.
– No choking games or breath holding contests.
– No hyperventilating before swimming long distances.
– No climbing, sitting, or playing on lane lines.
– No sharing goggles, caps, towels or other personal items.
– Infections, open wounds, and contagious illnesses prohibit swimming.
– No unattended children near the pool. Kids require constant supervision.
– Weak swimmers must stay in shallow areas.
– Apply sunscreen and reapply often to prevent burns.
Having established pool rules and enforcing them consistently improves safety. Make sure rules are clearly posted.
Pool Safety Checklist
Check that key safety measures are in place:
– Pool chemicals secured in locked area away from heat sources
– Proper “No Diving” signage in shallow areas
– Visible depth markers along the pool edge
– Lifesaving equipment available – shepherd’s hook, life ring, first aid kit
– Slip resistant surfaces around pool
– Adequate ventilation for indoor pools
– Self-latching, self-closing gates, fences and barriers to limit pool access
– Clear pool rules posted
– GFCI outlets around pool
– Lights, mechanical systems, and drains in working order
– No broken or sharp edges around pool
– Clean water with proper chemical levels
– Trained lifeguards during public swim hours
– Emergency phone close to poolside
– Coast Guard approved personal floatation devices available
– CPR instructions posted visibly
– No diving boards, slides, or structures in shallow areas
Doing routine safety checks minimizes dangers and accidents.
Conclusion
Swimming pools provide hours of family fun and exercise. But they also pose risks if safety isn’t made a priority. By avoiding common pool mistakes like swallowing water, running near the pool, diving in shallow areas, and neglecting chemical safety, the chances of accidents decrease significantly. Following pool rules, supervising children vigilantly, and using the safety checklist ensures an enjoyable pool experience for all. Safety first prevents injuries and incidents at the pool.