Posted on August 16, 2022 at 10:53 AM by Hannah Behl
With summer and warm weather upon us, it is time to break out the swimming pools and get ready for fun. Along with the recreation opportunities pools also bring an element of danger into your backyard space. The following is a safety checklist for opening up the swimming pool.
- Inspect the physical barrier to the pool, it needs to be at least 48” tall, all gates through it need to be self-closing, and self-locking.
- All metal fencing, sidewalls and structural elements of the pool shall be grounded as to prevent electrical shock hazard.
- Any pool which has direct access from the house to the pool needs to have an alarm system for that door.
You will need to apply for a building permit for your pool if:
- The water surface is greater then 144 sq. ft.
- The depth of the water is greater than 24”.
- The swimming pool requires any electrical equipment such as a filtration system, a water heater, or lighting.
A sad fact is that in the United States we have an average of 5000 pool related drownings each year which may be preventable by following these few rules and safety precautions. As always, if you have any questions regarding this article, please feel free to call us at 517-668-0278.