Portable Pools as Deadly, Dangerous as In-Ground Pools

By Admin on June 23, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Before you set up the backyard pool this summer, it's important that you take the time to brush up on your portable pool safety.

According to new study published by researchers at Nationwide hospital and Independent Safety Consulting in Rockville, Maryland, between the years 2001 and 2009, every five days, a child died as a result of a portable pool.

Most of these children were under the age of 5 and died during the summer.

The study, which focused on inflatable and soft-sided pools up to 4 feet tall, concluded that portable pools are just as deadly as in-ground pools, reports the Associated Press.

Even though so-called kiddie pools are small and often shallow, they may still be quite larger in comparison to a young child. Additionally, their lack of depth and location on a hard surface poses a situation ripe for injury that can also lead to drowning.

What are the rules for portable pool safety?

Supervision, supervision, and more supervision. A child can drown in less than a minute, meaning vigilant attention is necessary to react.

Researchers also suggest safety jackets as a second layer of protection, according to Reuters. You should also do your best to make it difficult for children to enter the pool without the help of an adult.

Though draining the pool after every use might be a hassle, it can also be effective as a last resort.

Regardless of how you decide to approach portable pool safety this summer, you need to do something. Your child's life may depend on it.

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