Pool safety

With the weather now heating up, Lachlan Shire Council would like to remind owners of swimming pools that they must ensure the child safety barrier around the pool is still compliant and effective.

The consequences of a small child being able to enter your pool enclosure through a gap in a fence are often tragic and can be prevented by simply taking a few easy measures. More than half of all children under five years old who drowned in Australia in the last few years died in backyard pools, often because the fence gate wasn't properly secured or toddlers were able to find a way through gaps that emerge as a result of wear- and- tear that home owners either hadn't noticed or had put off repairing.

“Ownership of a swimming pool provides many hours of pleasure and is a great leisure time activity, but in turn carries a large burden of responsibility to maintain it in a manner fit for persons to use,” Council’s Environment and Development Officer, Mr Andrew Hubbard said.

“It is essential that children are watched at all times by a responsible adult, as many drowning incidents occur in the brief moments when parents are distracted.  Never leave children alone in the pool area,” Mr Hubbard said.

A special downloadable pool safety checklist has been produced by Royal Life Saving. The checklist urges people to check swimming pool gates, swimming pool fences as well as looking at issues like chemicals around pools, supervision issues, emergency preparation and other matters. The checklist can be downloaded from: http://www.royallifesaving.com.au

Parents are also encouraged to introduce their children to water safety at an early age and to attend swimming classes.

Parents should also learn resuscitation in case of an emergency.