Accommodating safety features in pool design is a prerequisite for building one from scratch. There’s no alternative. You either make a safe pool area, or you don’t have anywhere to swim.
Some features are more important than others, and it’s good for first-time pool owners to know which are must-haves and which are simply nice to have.
Safety Is the Most Important Aspect of Pool Design
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that “more children between the ages of 1 and 4 die from drowning than any other cause of death.” When they reach ages 5 to 14, it becomes the second most common cause, right behind motor vehicle crashes.
This harsh reality might seem grim, but that’s why accommodating safety features in pool design matters so much. You don’t have to let the statistics scare you. But you do have to include safety features in your pool design. Doing so will lower the potential hazards of having a swimming pool, especially if you have pets or young children.
The Most Vital Safety Features
Here’s what we recommend if you’re looking into accommodating essential safety features in pool design.
Pool Fencing
A strong pool safety fence is one of the best defenses against accidents or people getting into the pool area without supervision. The CDC suggests pools should have a fence around them that’s at least four feet high.
Pool fencing should also ideally have self-closing and self-latching gates to prevent anyone from leaving them open. You should also consult a contractor to ensure that your fence meets local regulation standards for residential swimming pools.
No matter how you build it, a pool fence is at the top of the list for essentials: it ensures that your backyard space is not just fun but also safe.
Covers
Many pool owners purchase covers thinking they’ll protect their pool, but that’s not all they’re good for. Manual or automatic pool covers are excellent add-ons to prevent someone from falling into the pool when it’s not in use.
Automatic covers are ideal since you can often control them remotely. This makes it easy for families to access and adjust the pool cover based on their needs. Manual covers work just as well, they just aren’t as convenient, and you’ll have to remember to put them back on every time.
Non-Slip Surfaces
Since you’re designing your pool from scratch, you might as well include safety features in any design element you can. That means opting for non-slip surfaces to protect swimmers from slips and falls. There’s virtually no reason not to install non-slip surfaces around your pool, and many pool landscaping materials are made with pool traction in mind.
Depth Markers and Warning Signs
These signs are meant to let swimmers know about safety rules and the pool’s depth. They aren’t nearly as critical as the other three items on this list. Still, they’re a phenomenally simple way to help avoid accidents, especially if some less strong swimmers want to avoid the deeper parts of the pool.
Warning signs might include “walk, don’t run” or “no diving in shallow areas.” You might have no issue policing this if it’s just you and your family. But if you intend to throw pool parties where you won’t always be around, these signs are vital for keeping people safe.
Emergency Equipment
Despite your best efforts, there’s always a chance an emergency will play out around your pool area. Be ready with the right emergency equipment. This includes life rings or jackets, reaching poles, first aid kits, kickboards; whatever you need to help someone get to safety.
Make sure that all emergency equipment is marked and easy to access (it’s often wise to get signage for this).
The Role of Professionals in Accommodating Safety Features in Pool Design
Most homeowners aren’t pool safety experts, and they aren’t meant to be. But that does raise the question: How do you know you’re doing enough to protect your family and guests?
That’s part of what you pay for when you hire professional pool builders. They know that design isn’t solely about how something looks: it’s about how it functions. And safety is paramount with pool functionality. Here’s why hiring professionals is such an important part of keeping your new pool safe.
Years of Experience
Professionals are happy to advise you on which safety features you’d benefit from most, guiding you every step of the way. They can also offer recommendations for specific features they already know how to install based on experience. With the right amount of information, a pool design professional can help you decide on fences, pool covers, and even alarms that look great and keep your pool space safe.
Addressing Blind Spots
Even if you comb over countless guides like this one, professionals have the expertise to identify holes in a design’s safety. They are master problem solvers who help new pool owners knock everything off their checklists with creative, cost-effective solutions. This could even refer to structural safety, ensuring that things like ladders are properly secure so they don’t suddenly become liabilities.
Ongoing Safety Maintenance
Safety features are important, but so is taking care of them. Having a professional design for these features means you’ll also know what’s needed to maintain them.
A good example would be installing a specific non-slip surface around your pool’s edge. A custom builder can recommend something that has a solid grip and lasts a long time but is more challenging to maintain. The pool builder will let you know how to keep the material at its best.
Custom Pools With a Safety-First Approach at Blue Haven Pools on the Gulf
Focus on safety, and you’ll have countless days of peaceful pool time in the future. The expert designers at Blue Haven Pools on the Gulf know just how much the safety of your family and friends means to you, and we design our pools around what’s important: protecting the people you care about.
Reach out to our team today to learn more about our collaborative approach to pool building and chat with a professional about your design ideas.