It’s summer time, and if you have a pool on your property, then you’ve likely had it open since Memorial Day. Though it may seem like a no-brainer, investing time (and sometimes money) into safety in and around the pool is part of your responsibility in a big way. Make sure that you, the people who utilize the pool, and anyone else involved understand the risks and safety measures throughout the entire summer season. Of course, pool safety also extends into avoiding liability and lawsuit, so consider that, too, going forward.
Don’t Let Residents Forget Pool Safety
Those who are happily using the pool and its related facilities may not have any potential dangers in mind as they enjoy the weather. Whether it’s an indoor or outdoor pool, there are a number of rules that should be enforced and you may have to remind people of them every so often (via posted messages or by e-mail, for example). Employ lifeguards and other staff to do the same, to not overlook misdemeanors in pool safety that put the people and guests at risk.
Though they may seem more like “common sense rules,” there are some old standards that ought to be followed even if they’ve gone by the wayside. The classic “no running” and “no diving” maybe not be popular to hear or to have to call out at people, but these are historic pool rules for a reason. Running around the area can result in slipping and bodily harm on the deck, or it may even result in that person falling into the pool, injuring themselves and others who may be nearby. People may think that they have control over themselves and may roll their eyes if chastised, but kids and adults alike can slip easily and do or suffer great harm. After all, the pool’s water doesn’t usually stay contained to the pool, and is more than likely covering the surface around it, making it slippery.
As for “no diving,” this is another often-ignored pool safety rule that should be enforced. If a person is diving, he or she may not realize how shallow the area is and could be seriously hurt. Even if they are in the deep end or are an experienced swimmer, accidents happen. Being in a pool with others, and often many others, means that there are a lot of people to impact while diving. You may know your own abilities, but you can’t predict what others will do.
A pool on your property is likely to attract children, whether as regulars or as guests. Ensure that they are supervised by requiring that children below a certain age come with a chaperon who is above that age (or just a legal adult). They are more likely to run rampant when unsupervised, so have lifeguards or other attendees watch for one or more kids who don’t seem to have arrived with anyone. Speaking of younger visitors, include rules about the swim wear of toddlers and those around that age. They should be required to wear swim diapers for obvious reasons.
If any of this seems like it could be a problem, enforce the maximum capacity for swimming in the pool. If there are more than a certain number of swimmers inside, someone should speak up about it for safety reasons. This can be difficult to keep track of, but in case of some kind of emergency, having too many people in the water can make things all the worse. Even without an emergency, the less space there is between people, the more likely that someone will be hurt.
Your property’s pool should be for people and only for people. Allowing dogs or any other animals into the water can cause big problems, the least of which is that much of their hair can end up clogging the drain. Also, you (and their owners, probably) don’t know where the animals have been, so it’s unsanitary to have them in the same body of water as people. Finally, you should consider banning them from even the surrounding area, as many people have pet allergies and would be affected by their presence (and it’s likely they’ll just end up in the water at that point, anyway).
Depending on your property, you may have more or less rules that are crucial to safety and avoiding accidents: these are just a few pool safety tips to consider. Speak with your team and come up with the plan that’s right for everyone involved. If you are spending a lot of time worrying about the state of the pool and the people who use it, then you likely don’t have time or energy to expend on worrying about other, minor management details. Let Budgetrac Property Management Software handle those tasks for you, lowering operating costs and increasing the value of your property all with the same, versatile technology. Test out Budgetrac today to see what this software can do for your property management work!