The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently issued a study in the United States that has revealed the majority of serious swimming-pool injuries occur in home pools or while on vacation at hotels and resorts. A major concern in the findings is that depth markings often were often poorly marked and that many injuries occurred when individuals dove into water less than 4 feet (1.2 meters) deep.
Check the Pool’s Depth & Posted Warning Signs
Since serious injuries are often a result of the head impacting on the pool bottom, depth measurements are vital. A person diving into a pool knows that water acts as a brake that slows diver momentum; however misjudging the depth is the main reason people suffer head injuries. Over the years, there have been multiple studies that examined the speed of divers as they enter the water and reach various distances below the water. Researchers found that swimmers diving from boards and above ground decks hit the water at about 15 feet per second.
Safe diving also depends partly on technique and even the shape of the pool. For example, Pools with irregular curved outlines may not leave much room for error if the diver’s movement takes him/her laterally.
Warnings put around the pool can reduce injury or even death. There is a wide selection of swimming pool safety signs and swimming pool depth markers that can help to improve the safety of swimming environments while also allowing pools to comply with government regulations and requirements, but how seriously are these cautions taken?
People with pools are less likely to pay attention to warnings because of being familiar with their surroundings. Since their personal experience says that there is little risk, they are more likely to think that the risks are low. Ironically, the most experienced and able divers, such as swim team members, are the ones most likely to ignore warnings.
Pool & Swimming Safety Concerns
A pool not having enough lighting has been estimated to contribute to about 30% of diving accidents. This effect is compounded by any cloudiness to the water, which often results from poor maintenance.
People often model their behavior based on what other people around them are doing. If other people are diving into a pool, whether it’s safe or not, then there is increased likelihood that warning signs will be ignored. Even peer pressure can cause youths or even adults to dive or swim in an unsafe manner. Obviously, drinking alcohol around a pool increases the risk greatly.
Putting aside diving accidents and other reasons people drown or get injured, the most important thing to remember is if you are a property/swimming pool owner, you are responsible for safety and you must make sure that the safety barrier/fencing restricts access by young children to the pool.
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