Pool Safety
Have the Appropriate Equipment
- Install a fence of at least four feet in height around the perimeter of the pool or spa
- Use self-closing and self-latching gates
- Ensure all pools and spas have compliant drain covers
- Install an alarm on the door leading.
Pool Safely is a national public education campaign to reduce child drownings, non-fatal submersions, and entrapments in swimming pools and spas. The campaign was developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to implement the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act), federal legislation mandating new requirements for public pools and spas.
CPSC is working to ensure drowning and entrapment prevention are important public safety priorities by raising awareness, promoting industry compliance, and improving safety at pools and spas. The Pool Safely campaign emphasizes an important and simple message: adding an extra safety step in and around the water can make all the difference.
CPSC estimates that each year, nearly 300 children younger than five drown in swimming pools and spas, and an additional 4,000 children that age go to hospital emergency rooms due to submersion injuries in pools and spas.
- Simple Water Safety Steps Can Save Lives
- Stay Close, Be Alert, and Watch
- Always watch children and never leave them unattended
- Keep children away from pool drains, pipes, and other openings
- Have a charged phone close by at all times
- If a child is missing, check the pool first
- Share safety instructions with family, friends, and neighbors
- Learn and Practice Water Safety Skills
- Learn to swim and make sure kids do, too
- Know how to perform CPR on children and adults
You can Pool Safely by adopting extra safety steps:
- Make sure kids learn to swim
- Properly fence all pools
- Always watch kids in and around the water
- Stay away from drains
- Know life-saving skills
Click the icon for more information and resources on pool and spa safety and the Pool and Spa Safety Act.
