Pool Safely Pledge
...all of these tragedies are preventable. I urge all parents and caregivers to teach children to swim or sign them up for swim classes, put a fence around all pools, and always watch children in and around the water.
Mt. Pleasant, MI (PRWEB) June 05, 2014
New reports released recently by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) indicate that nearly 400 pool and spa drownings occur each year in the United States that involve children younger than 15 years old. More than 75 percent of those drownings involve children younger than 5.
"Drowning remains the leading cause of accidental death for children between the ages of 1 and 4," said Acting CPSC Chairman Robert Adler. "Most of these incidents happen at home, and all of these tragedies are preventable. I urge all parents and caregivers to teach children to swim or sign them up for swim classes, put a fence around all pools, and always watch children in and around the water."
To further encourage adults to be vigilant about pool safety, the CPSC's Pool Safely campaign has launched the Pool Safely Pledge, a checklist that adults can use to commit to a safe swim season. The pledge calls for adults to:
- Designate a water watcher every single time children in their care are in or near the water.
- Make sure their kids know how to swim.
- As a parent or guardian, learn CPR.
- Always remove portable pool ladders when not in use.
- Ensure all permanent pools have a proper fence and gate, and safe drain covers.
Additionally, the CPSC has created a Pool Safely Pledge for children so that they can be a part of their own water safety.
LockeyUSA, a Pool Safely Campaign Safety Leader (CSL), asks parents and caregivers to commit to pool and spa safety by making it an integral part of how they raise their kids and safeguard their homes. As a manufacturer of door and gate security hardware including keyless door and gate locks, hydraulic gate closers, and more, LockeyUSA wants to ensure the perimeter of pools and spas are properly secured. The primary ways to prevent accidental drownings will always be teaching children how to swim, and ensuring children are properly supervised while in and around the water, but the fence and gate act as the first line of defense, and are highly important when proper supervision is not possible.
Fences should rise to at least five-feet off the ground, and gates should be self-closing and self-locking or latching, equipped with a hydraulic gate closer or self-closing hinges, and a high-quality lock or latch. Additionally, gates should open out, away from the pool. If the pool barrier shares a wall with a home or building, any doors exiting to the pool area should be equipped with a self-locking or latching device, and door alarms are recommended.
Join LockeyUSA and make pool safety a priority. Take the Pool Safely Pledge today! Drowning is preventable. Simple steps save lives. Learn more at LockeyUSA.com/Pool-Safety.
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Based in Michigan, LockeyUSA is an American owned and operated manufacturing company, offering a wide variety of high-quality door and gate security hardware including mechanical and electronic keyless locks, hydraulic gate closers, and panic hardware. LockeyUSA is actively engaged in pool safety initiatives as a Campaign Safety Leader (CSL) with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Pool Safely campaign, and as a corporate member of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA). To learn more about LockeyUSA, visit LockeyUSA.com or follow the company on Twitter @LockeyUSA.
Pool Safely, a national public education campaign supporting the requirements of Section 1407 of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, works with partners around the country to reduce child drownings, near-drownings submersions and entrapment incidents in swimming pools and spas. Parents, caregivers, and the media are encouraged to visit: PoolSafely.gov or @PoolSafely on Twitter for vital safety information regarding the prevention of child submersions in and around pools and spas.
