Surround Your Pool with Safety
Your state or municipality may have requirements for fences or barriers around your pool. Be sure you are in compliance with the regulations.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission developed the following guidelines regarding barriers around a pool:
- The recommended height for a barrier is at least 48 inches above grade on the side that faces away form the pool.
- No indentations or protrusions should exist in a solid barrier.
- For fences made of horizontal and vertical members, the side of the fence holding the horizontal members determines the height of the fence. If the vertical members are 45 inches above grade, the horizontal members should be on the pool-side of the fence. If the fence is taller than 45 inches, the horizontal members can be on the side of the fence facing away from the pool.
- The space between the vertical slats also depends on the height of the fence. If the fence is less than 45 inches, the spacing between the vertical members should not exceed 1¾ inches. For a fence taller than 45 inches, the vertical members spacing should not exceed 4 inches. These sizes are based on the foot width and head breadth of young children to prevent them from getting a foothold or passing through an opening.
- Openings between the fence and the ground should not exceed 4 inches on the side facing away from the pool. Chain link fences and fences with diagonal latticework have restrictions on the size of the openings.
- Above-ground pools often serve as their own barrier, but special attention needs to be called to the ladder or steps leading up to the pool. The ladder or steps should be secured, locked or removed to prevent access or surrounded by a barrier.
- All gates on barriers or fences should open out from the pool and should be self-closing and self-latching.
- Many times, child victims were last seen in the house before a drowning accident. It's a good idea to make sure that all doors leading from the house to the pool area are alarmed to control movement. Switches can be installed to temporarily deactivate the alarm for 15 seconds so adults can pass through without disturbance.
