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The Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada (PHTCC) has released a position paper that addresses the benefits of a layered approach to pool safety.

The Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada (PHTCC) has released a position paper on swimming pool safety, stressing the need for a 'layered' approach using a multitude of safeguards to protect pool users.

Recent discussions on swimming pool safety have focused on four-sided barriers and fencing. A four-sided barrier allows a building (e.g. house) to be used as a wall on one (or more) of the four sides of a pool, with an access point comprising a self-latching, self-locking gate. A four-sided fence, on the other hand, completely encloses the pool, with access granted via a similar gate.

In the report, Layers of Protection: The Proven Approach to a Safe Pool Environment, the PHTCC says a four-sided barrier is a viable layer of safety; however, it strongly encourages multiple safeguards—window/door locks, limitation devices and alarms, Julian gates, safety covers, access alarms and wave sensors—to protect end-users.

The report notes that, based on available evidence, four-sided fencing is not a finite solution to swimming pool safety, as it has been shown:
• Gate self-closures are not reliable;
• Some parents develop complacency and subsequently let down their guard;
• On too many occasions, adults and older children prop the gate open; and
• Any motivation for a homeowner to install additional swimming pool safety devices seems to disappear.

The PHTCC maintains no one mechanism should be relied upon to provide absolute safety for pool users, particularly non-swimmers and children. Moreover, circumstances may warrant multiple solutions depending on existing conditions.

The complete report can be found at www.poolcouncil.ca/news/news_item_77.pdf.