A swimming pool can provide years of fun, exercise, and relaxation, but pool ownership also comes with an important responsibility: keeping everyone in and around the water as safe as possible.
Good pool safety is not based on a single precaution. The safest approach is to use multiple layers of protection, including responsible adult supervision, barriers, properly maintained pool equipment, safe electrical systems, and clear rules for everyone using the pool.
Whether you have young children at home, regularly entertain guests, or simply want to make your backyard pool area safer, these 25 essential pool safety tips are a great place to start.
Supervision & Swimming Safety
1. Always Supervise Children Around the Pool
Never leave a child unattended in or near a swimming pool, even for a short period of time. Young children and inexperienced swimmers should remain within close reach of a responsible adult.
2. Designate a Water Watcher
Whenever children are swimming, designate one responsible adult as the Water Watcher. That person should focus exclusively on the swimmers rather than reading, using a phone, preparing food, or performing other tasks.
3. Never Swim Alone
Encourage swimmers of every age and skill level to use the buddy system. Even experienced swimmers can experience cramps, medical emergencies, falls, or other unexpected problems.
4. Teach Children How to Swim
Swimming lessons can help children develop important water-safety skills and become more comfortable in the water. Swimming ability, however, should never be considered a substitute for supervision.
5. Use U.S. Coast Guard-Approved Life Jackets When Appropriate
Children, inexperienced swimmers, and anyone who needs additional flotation support should use a properly fitted U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Inflatable toys, water wings, and pool floats should not be treated as lifesaving devices.
6. Avoid Dangerous Underwater Breath-Holding
Do not encourage prolonged underwater breath-holding, repeated hyperventilation before swimming underwater, or contests to see who can stay underwater the longest. These activities can result in loss of consciousness underwater.
7. Establish Clear Pool Rules
Create simple rules that everyone understands. Common rules include no running on the pool deck, no pushing or roughhousing, no glass containers near the water, and no swimming without permission or supervision.
8. Never Dive Into an Area Not Designed for Diving
Do not dive into shallow water or into any area that is not specifically designed and marked for diving. Enter unfamiliar pools feet first until you know the depth and configuration of the pool.
Barriers, Covers & Access Protection
9. Install a Proper Pool Barrier
A pool fence or other approved barrier can help prevent unsupervised access to the water. Current CPSC guidance recommends a barrier at least four feet high that surrounds the pool and helps separate it from the home and yard.
10. Use Self-Closing, Self-Latching Gates
Pool gates should close and latch automatically. Keep gates closed and never prop them open for convenience, particularly when children are present.
11. Consider Door and Pool Alarms
Door alarms, gate alarms, and pool-entry alarms can provide another layer of protection by alerting you when someone enters the pool area or water unexpectedly.
12. Use a Proper Safety Cover
When appropriate, use a properly installed pool safety cover and keep it in good working condition. A standard solar blanket or lightweight debris cover should not be considered a safety barrier unless it is specifically designed and rated for that purpose.
13. Secure Above-Ground Pool Ladders and Steps
If you have an above-ground pool, restrict access to ladders, stairs, and entry points when the pool is not being supervised. Depending on the pool design, access equipment may need to be removed, locked, or otherwise secured.
Emergency Preparedness
14. Learn CPR
Adults who supervise a pool should know how to perform CPR on both children and adults. Keep CPR training current so you are better prepared to respond in an emergency.
15. Keep Rescue Equipment Close to the Pool
Keep appropriate rescue equipment readily accessible, such as a reaching pole, shepherd's crook, life ring, and well-stocked first aid kit. Rescue equipment should be easy to reach without entering the water.
16. Keep a Phone Available for Emergencies
Make sure a phone is readily available so emergency services can be contacted quickly. Everyone responsible for supervising the pool should know the property's address and how to direct emergency responders to the pool area.
17. Create a Pool Emergency Plan
Make sure family members know what to do during a drowning emergency, electrical emergency, injury, or severe weather event. Knowing who will call 911, who will begin CPR, and where emergency equipment is located can save valuable time.
Pool Equipment & Electrical Safety
18. Make Sure Drain Covers Are Safe and Secure
Never use a pool or spa with a missing, broken, loose, or damaged drain cover. Powerful suction can create an entrapment hazard. Keep swimmers, especially children, away from drains, suction fittings, pipes, and other pool openings.
19. Inspect Ladders, Handrails, Steps, and Pool Equipment
Regularly check pool ladders, handrails, diving equipment, steps, grates, and other components for looseness, corrosion, cracks, or damage. Repair or replace damaged equipment before the pool is used.
20. Take Electrical Safety Seriously
Keep extension cords, radios, speakers, appliances, and other electrical devices away from the pool. Pool-related electrical systems and nearby receptacles should have appropriate Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) protection and should be inspected if there are signs of damage or deterioration.
If swimmers ever feel tingling, unusual muscle sensations, or possible electrical shock in the water, everyone should exit the pool immediately without touching metal ladders or rails and the electrical system should be professionally inspected.
21. Keep the Pool Deck Clean and Clear
Remove toys, hoses, cleaning equipment, floats, and unnecessary clutter from walking areas around the pool. Keeping the deck clear can reduce trips and falls and can also prevent toys from attracting unsupervised children toward the water.
Weather, Water & Everyday Pool Safety
22. Get Out of the Water When Thunder or Lightning Is Present
Leave the pool when thunder is heard or lightning is seen and move to a safe enclosed location. Wait at least 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder before resuming outdoor swimming activities.
23. Keep Pool Chemicals Stored Safely
Store chlorine, bromine, oxidizers, acids, and other pool chemicals in their original containers in a secure, dry, well-ventilated location away from children and pets. Never mix different pool chemicals together unless the product instructions specifically direct you to do so.
24. Maintain Proper Pool Water Chemistry
Test pool water regularly and maintain sanitizer, pH, alkalinity, and other water-balance levels within the recommended ranges for your pool and equipment. Proper water chemistry improves swimmer comfort, helps control harmful microorganisms, and protects pool surfaces and equipment.
25. Avoid Alcohol When Supervising Swimmers
The person responsible for watching swimmers should remain alert and unimpaired. Alcohol and other impairing substances can reduce judgment, coordination, reaction time, and the ability to recognize an emergency quickly.
Pool Safety Works Best in Layers
No single pool-safety product or rule can eliminate every risk. The goal is to create multiple layers of protection so that if one safeguard fails, another is still in place.
Active supervision, swimming skills, secure barriers, safety covers, alarms, properly maintained drains and equipment, electrical protection, rescue equipment, and emergency preparedness all work together to create a safer swimming environment.
It is also a good idea to periodically walk around your pool as though you were seeing it for the first time. Look for loose handrails, damaged drain covers, electrical hazards, trip hazards, unsecured gates, worn safety equipment, and anything else that may have changed since your last inspection.
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Pool safety recommendations may vary depending on pool design, local building codes, equipment, and applicable regulations. Always follow manufacturer instructions and applicable local requirements.