Ensuring Swimming Pool Safety Through The Use of Pool Fences

Ensuring Swimming Pool Safety Through The Use of Pool Fences

One of the best ways to make ensure swimming pool safety if you have a backyard pool is to install a pool fence. A pool fence would prevent small children from sneaking out into the pool, entering it, and go swimming without adult supervision. As we all know, drowning and other untoward incidents in the pool and surrounding area usually happen when children are left on their own devices. Here are some tips on making sure that the pool fence you will install will be up to the task:

The fence should be at least four feet high. It should be climb-resistant as well. To make it climb resistant, its design should eliminate anything that can be used as footholds or handholds by a child determined to climb over the fence. For this reason, vertical slats are more advisable than chain-link fences. There should be a space of no more than 4 inches between the slats. If chain-link fences are to be used, the diamond spaces should be no bigger than inch. Additionally to maximize swimming pool safety, there should be no outdoor furniture such as lawn chairs placed beside the fence. The design of the pool fence gate is also important. It should be able to latch by itself and close automatically. It should also open away, and not towards, the pool. Also, the gate latch should be higher than a child’s reach.

Some people who want to eliminate having a fence in their backyard install an above-ground pool instead. For this type of pool, children can be kept away from getting in without adult supervision by removing ladders and locking them away when the pool is not in use. Other swimming pool safety measures that can be installed together with a fence are door alarms, pool alarms, and automatic pool covers.