Patio furniture is a wonderful gift for you or someone you know, and it fits perfectly around a beautiful pool setting. However, if we are not careful, patio furniture can be a danger near a pool. As responsible parents and adults, we put in our efforts towards safety; however, sometimes things slip below our line of vision. Patio furniture is certainly not an item that most people would include when creating a list of safety measures. As summer is in full swing, it is important, however, to examine how patio furniture can be a danger near a pool.
Locks, alarms, covers, and guards are important, but let's take a closer look at these security features. Sometimes locks aren't enough. If small children use a piece of furniture to reach door handles or gate locks, they can enter the pool area unnoticed. This is a common cause of a child drowning. So, while locks and guards are good, they need to be out of reach in order to be effective. No patio furniture should be left outside of the gate, in a place where children can use it as a ladder or stool.
As we all know, kids love to play. Given the opportunity, anything will become a toy, even furniture. This can be extremely dangerous around the pool. Children who are not sitting properly, who are leaning against a chair or tilting the furniture while standing on it, can easily lose their balance and tumble into the water.
How can you protect yourself and your guests around the pool? Make sure all furniture is within the enclosed area, or properly secured to the ground. A door alarm that tells you the door has been opened, or a water surface distress signal, which sounds if the water is disrupted, can be a layer of protection. These are very important items to help ensure safety around the pool.
Within the pool area, it is also important to teach children how to behave. Patio furniture can become a fun launching pad for pool-side gymnastics and for diving into the water. It's important to teach children that patio furniture can be a danger near a pool. Children should understand that side flips off the back of a chaise lounger is not acceptable behavior. In this realm, it is helpful to have heavy pool furniture that can't be easily transported, and to keep the furniture a good distance from the pool. This is, obviously, not a surefire way to create safety, but it's one more step in the process.
Patio furniture, like so many other things, can be a danger near a pool. Though we don't want to stifle children's creativity or limit our home decor possibilities, some steps must take precedence. For the sake of our children and ourselves, be sure to use the above safety measures so everyone can have a fun and safe summer.
