Pool and Hot Tub Safety - ABC News

Accidental drowning is the leading cause of death for children under age 5 and the second-leading cause of death for children 14 and under. Even children who are good swimmers can drown, and some do each year by what’s known as entrapment, which means getting pulled down by the suction of a pool or hot tub drain.

Swimming Pool & Spa Safety Tips

• Install drain covers. If you have the flat, old-fashioned drains on your pool, buy special anti-entanglement drain covers. These drain covers are especially good at preventing hair from getting caught in the pool and will greatly reduce the risk of someone drowning in your pool from entrapment.
• Install an automatic suction cut-off device on your pool’s pump. When the device feels an increase in pressure, which is what happens when a seal comes over the drain (which happens when a swimmer gets snapped by a drain), it will automatically shut off the pump and release the pressure. Having this device is always a faster way to release pressure than having an adult run over and turn off a pump.
• If you’re building a new pool, install two drains. This will cut the pressure from each drain in half. Often the suction from a lone drain can be 400 to 500 pounds, which is too strong for an entrapped child.
• Practice active supervision. This means that if your child is small, always be within arm’s length of him or her in the water. When you are watching children swim, you should not be doing anything else — no talking on a cell phone or grilling hamburgers or talking to friends.