- hidden death-traps

Pool pump suction

• The suction developed by a pool-pump is proportional to the size of the pump but even a small pump can produce enough suction to trap a bather beneath the water resulting in drowning, or to injure or kill a bather should they come into contact with an uncapped Vacuum Point

Consider installing a safety cut-out that opens the suction line to atmosphere instantly in the case of blockage

Safety Vacuum Release Systems (SVRS) sense suction line blockage and automatically shut the pump off, or open the suction line to atmosphere

The instantaneous response breaks the vacuum and allows an entrapped swimmer to escape

Safety Vacuum Release Systems provide an important layer of protection against entrapment and death

Vac-Alert is one system that works very well 

 Main Drain

• Since 1985, more than 150 cases of swimming pool drain entrapment have been reported in the USA alone

• There have been at least 48 deaths over that same period in the USA

• The entrapments also have caused many serious injuries, including disembowelments of children and adults

• Pools should have a minimum of 2 main drains, separated from each other so that one person could not possibly block both main drains at the same time, or a main drain grille that has been designed to prevent entrapment, like the one shown below

• It is vitally important that main drains have the correct grilles securely installed

• At the first sign of any damage to the grille - replace it

• Main drain grilles (plastic) should be routinely replaced after 3 - 4 years

Please take the time to read this Wikipedia page

Death of Abigail Taylor

• On June 29, 2007, Abigail Taylor's parents took her to the Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park, Minnesota

• Everyone was leaving the wading pool when Abigail Taylor accidentally fell on the open drain of the pool and her buttocks were sucked into the aperture

• The suction dislodged a large section of her small intestine which was forcefully drawn out through the anus, a phenomenon known as transanal evisceration

• The incident was similar to a 1993 incident in North Carolina involving Valerie Lakey, who was five years old at the time

Injury and subsequent death

• Abigail lost 6.5 meters (21 feet) of her small intestine in the accident, leaving her with short bowel syndrome

• Following the accident, Abigail was hospitalized and received a rare triple organ transplant to replace her small intestine, liver, and pancreas, all of which were damaged in the accident

• She was unable to eat or drink, and she required total parenteral nutrition

• Abigail died nine months after the accident from a transplant-related cancer

• She was just six years old at the time of her death

Vacuum Point

• Fit the safety-cap to the vacuum point when it is not in use for pool-cleaning, to prevent accidents

• Suction at the vacuum point is easily strong enough to pull a small child’s’ arm into the pipe-work or to cause instant disembowelment and death to both children and adults

• Even a momentary contact with a vacuum point that has been left open and un-capped can cause severe bruising of the skin

• In an horrific incident in recent times a child put her mouth over a vacuum point that had been accidentally left un-capped with the vacuum valve left open

• Her lungs and stomach were instantly inverted and pulled into the suction line and the poor child died instantly

• Are you shocked by this vision?

• I'm truly sorry if I distressed you (but perhaps now you'll remember to turn the vacuum valve off and fit the safety cap?)

We supply all plant and equipment featured on this website. All our work is Guaranteed; Parts and Labour

For free and unbiased advice, a site visit or no-obligation Quotation*, please make initial enquiries by email. Tell us a little about your pool problem and include a daytime phone number. Thanks, we look forward to meeting you soon

Note: - Please contact our recommended pool professionals for supply and installation of all pool-related services: - 

Andalusia and the Costa del Sol - Pool Safety Spain

Nerja area - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

*We only offer Quotations: - a fixed, agreed price that cannot, and will not, be increased. We do not give 'estimates', as an estimate offers the client no guarantee of final price

Share this website with other Pool Owners and Users,  encourage them to read about Pool Safety, learn CPR and help them to save lives, time and money. Please help us to make every pool a safer place - by sharing this information we can cut the number of pool accidents and deaths.  Please also see our Facebook page

Ken Walker - MyPoolGuru©

- keeping Safe around the pool

While a pool can be many things to many people, some benefits are universal.  By enjoying a backyard pool, homeowners improve their health and fitness, release and eliminate stress, and create a vibrant atmosphere for special occasions and family fun

Overall, pool ownership is a lifestyle change and definitely one for the better - you don't have to leave home to escape the rat race.  A pool gives opportunities to encourage togetherness or to appreciate quiet moments alone

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Most health professionals agree: - swimming is the single most beneficial activity for your whole body; being stress-free for joints and limbs

Improved self-confidence and a positive attitude-change are also significant parts of the pool exercise package.  Pool aerobics are a preventative, therapeutic activity and a cardiovascular conditioner, particularly for those with arthritis and other disabilities

“The more often you swim the longer you’ll live”, according to 2 studies of more than 335,000 people by Jeremiah Stamler MD, a heart-disease researcher from Northwestern University in Chicago, who estimates you may add 10 years to your life by swimming every day

Your own private, backyard pool can transform the most ordinary occasion into a special event.  You can readily imagine some of the occasions around your pool; parties, barbeques, college reunions and quiet gatherings of friends - or just relaxing

With colourful decorations, tasty food and music to fit the mood, your pool parties will create memories that will last a lifetime. The possibilities are endless. What better place to entertain your kids and their friends than at home, safe in your own family pool.....?

Pools are Very Dangerous Places

Be aware that your pool is a potentially life-threatening hazard and plan to make your pool the safest place that it can be.  Nobody ever plans for a tragedy like drowning - but pool-owners should all plan to prevent one by paying attention to Pool Safety

Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of death of children under five years of age in the USA, and the leading cause of death in some states such as California, Florida and Arizona (where there are more than the average percentage of properties with private pools).  Enough cannot be said or read on this subject

Over 280 under-fives drown each year in private pools and spas in the USA.  In Spain alone 80 to 100 kids aged 1-4 drown every year in private pools

According to the USPS Commission “An estimated 3,000 children under age five, and an even greater number of adults, are treated in US hospital emergency rooms following submersion accidents each year.”  A percentage of these submersion accidents result in permanent brain damage

In the USA a high percentage of married couples who have suffered the fatal drowning of a child end their relationships in an acrimonious divorce.  Additionally, in almost all of these tragic cases the family feel the need to move home

• Children must be constantly supervised when swimming - this is one of the most important aspects of Pool Safety

• The more people in or around the pool, the more supervision is necessary

• You need to assign one person who is dedicated to watching the children

• If that person leaves the pool area, they must pass the duty to another responsible adult (a sober adult who can swim and has learned CPR)

• Swimming lessons provide an excellent opportunity for kids to be self-confident in the pool, but the ability to swim is not a guarantee against drowning

• Kids of all ages constantly test their abilities and try out new tricks

• An accident can happen at any time and once again supervision by a responsible adult is the key to pool-safety

• Pool water must be completely protected whilst not in use - to prevent drowning - with a Safety Cover, Security Fence, or a Safety Net

• In the USA, Australia and France, to name but a few examples, every pool must be protected by a fence, cover or safety net by law

• In many other countries there is a legal requirement to protect any pool that is not ’for the exclusive use of one family or household’

• That means all Community pools, all pools at properties that are rented to holidaymakers or tourists, and all private pools where guests are invited along for a swim

Teach and enforce basic pool rules for Kids (and also for Adults)

• No eating, drinking, running or glassware in or near the pool

Read a cautionary tale here

• Don't dive from the side of an in-ground pool - enter the water feet first

• Don't dive if you’ve taken alcohol or drugs - your reactions will be slowed

• NEVER dive into above-ground pools; they are too shallow

• NEVER swim during a thunderstorm

Pool Safety Equipment

You should have a bare minimum of a ‘Shepherd’s Crook’ pool hook firmly fixed to a pole that will allow you to reach to the bottom of the deepest part of the pool, a First Aid box and a life belt

These items are only of use if they are within reach, so keep them poolside at all times

                                  Life belt                                             First Aid Kit                                         Shepherds Crook

We can supply all plant and equipment featured on this website but can install only in Spain and Portugal. All our work is Guaranteed - Parts and Labour. 

Please Contact Us, by email in the first instance, with a few details of your enquiry and a phone number; we will contact you very quickly. 

We will gladly visit your pool for a free Guaranteed-price Quotation.

We supply all plant and equipment featured on this website. All our work is Guaranteed; Parts and Labour

For free and unbiased advice, a site visit or no-obligation Quotation*, please make initial enquiries by email. Tell us a little about your pool problem and include a daytime phone number. Thanks, we look forward to meeting you soon

Note: - Please contact our recommended pool professionals for supply and installation of all pool-related services: - 

Andalusia and the Costa del Sol - Pool Safety Spain

Nerja area - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

*We only offer Quotations: - a fixed, agreed price that cannot, and will not, be increased. We do not give 'estimates', as an estimate offers the client no guarantee of final price

Share this website with other Pool Owners and Users,  encourage them to read about Pool Safety, learn CPR and help them to save lives, time and money. Please help us to make every pool a safer place - by sharing this information we can cut the number of pool accidents and deaths.  Please also see our Facebook page

Ken Walker - MyPoolGuru©

- a life-saving skill that you can learn, either inexpensively or Free! 

Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a First Aid technique that can be used if someone is not breathing properly or if their heart has stopped

Chest compressions and rescue breaths keep blood and oxygen circulating in the body

If someone is not breathing normally and is not moving or responding to you after an accident, call the Emergency Services for an ambulance. Then, if you can, start CPR straight away

Click on the image above to learn CPR in UK

Hands only CPR

If you have not been trained in CPR or are worried about giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a stranger, you can do chest compression-only (or hands-only) CPR

To carry out a chest compression:

• Place the heel of your hand on the breastbone at the centre of the person’s chest. Place your other hand on top of your first hand and interlock your fingers

• Using your body weight (not just your arms), press straight down by 5–6cm on their chest

• Repeat this until an ambulance arrives

• Try to give 100 chest compressions a minute

• When you call for an ambulance, telephone systems now exist that can give basic life-saving instructions, including advice on CPR

• These are now common and are easily accessible with mobile phones

CPR with rescue breaths

Adults

• Place your hands on the centre of the person's chest and, with the heel of your hand, press down by 5–6cm at a steady rate, slightly faster than one compression a second

• After every 30 chest compressions, give two breaths

• Tilt the casualty's head gently and lift the chin up with two fingers. Pinch the person’s nose. Seal your mouth over their mouth and blow steadily and firmly into their mouth. Check that their chest rises. Give two rescue breaths, each lasting approximately one second

• Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths until they begin to recover or emergency help arrives

CPR for Adults video

Children over one year old

• Open their airway by placing one hand on the child’s forehead and gently tilting their head back and lifting the chin

• Remove any visible obstructions from the mouth and nose

• Pinch their nose. Seal your mouth over their mouth and blow steadily and firmly into their mouth, checking that their chest rises. Give five initial rescue breaths

• Place your hands on the centre of their chest and, with the heel of your hand, press down by one-third of the depth of the chest using one or two hands

• After every 30 chest compressions at a steady rate (slightly faster than one compression a second), give two breaths

• Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths until they begin to recover or emergency help arrives

CPR for Toddlers video

Babies under one year old

• Open the baby's airway by placing one hand on their forehead and gently tilting the head back and lifting the chin. Remove any visible obstructions from the mouth and nose

• Place your mouth over the mouth and nose of the infant and blow steadily and firmly into their mouth, checking that their chest rises

• Give five initial rescue breaths

• Place two fingers in the middle of the chest and press down by one-third of the depth of the chest

• After 30 chest compressions at a steady rate (slightly faster than one compression a second), give two breaths

• Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths until they begin to recover or emergency help arrives

CPR for Babies video

Pets

CPR for Pets video

Further information on CPR can be viewed at http://www.depts.washington.edu/learncpr/ 

Please Register to Learn CPR Free Online

We supply all plant and equipment featured on this website. All our work is Guaranteed; Parts and Labour

For free and unbiased advice, a site visit or no-obligation Quotation*, please make initial enquiries by email. Tell us a little about your pool problem and include a daytime phone number. Thanks, we look forward to meeting you soon

Note: - Please contact our recommended pool professionals for supply and installation of all pool-related services: - 

Andalusia and the Costa del Sol - Pool Safety Spain

Nerja area - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

*We only offer Quotations: - a fixed, agreed price that cannot, and will not, be increased. We do not give 'estimates', as an estimate offers the client no guarantee of final price

Share this website with other Pool Owners and Users,  encourage them to read about Pool Safety, learn CPR and help them to save lives, time and money. Please help us to make every pool a safer place - by sharing this information we can cut the number of pool accidents and deaths.  Please also see our Facebook page

Ken Walker - MyPoolGuru©