Recognize POOL drain hazards
With Diligence, Serious Pool-Related Accidents can be Prevented!
Pools make for entertaining places to spend summer days and evenings. Pools provide some respite from the heat of the sun and children often spend hours splashing with friends, all the while getting beneficial exercise.
When swimming in pools, swimmers must recognize their inherent dangers. Pool drain suction is a potential safety issue, particularly when swimming at large pool clubs and hotels.
Many in-ground pools and spas utilize a bottom drain to filter out water as opposed to the pool wall skimmers popular in other pools. The vacuum effect created by these pool drains is powerful enough to hold swimmers on the bottom of the pool should suction occur. This suction may equate to hundreds of pounds of pressure. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the power is as strong as 300 pounds per square inch of pressure. Children without substantial body weights are most susceptible to being trapped. Several adults working collectively can have trouble freeing a trapped swimmer from a pool drain's grasp.
The CPSC currently mandates certain drain safety standards be met before products can be used. Public pool drains and hotel pool and hot tub drains must be covered with large, rounded covers that do not create the suction that would otherwise occur should a body part block a flat drain. A backup mechanical system installed in drains to further prevent suction also was initially proposed, but has since been tabled by the CPSC. However, even with covers in place, accidents may occur if covers shift, crack or fail to get replaced after pool servicing. Some older private pools also may not have covers that comply with the latest regulations.
The California-based law offices of Howard Kitay state that drowning is one of the most common causes of unintentional injury deaths in the United States, and pool drain accidents and entrapment is one of the most significant risks children face in swimming pools. Pool drains can hold individuals under water and uncovered or flat pool drain suction is powerful enough to eviscerate intestines or organs.
Pool drain accidents are on the decline thanks to newly developed safety protocols, but prevention is still something to keep in mind. Drain covers should be routinely inspected and repaired promptly if damaged. Parents should not allow children to swim in pools that have faulty drain covers. With diligence, serious pool-related accidents can be prevented.