Recent research has revealed 57% of pool owners are not checking the safety of their pool gate and fence adequately enough. In addition, 42% of pool owners checked their gate only once a year, 11% every few years and 4% had never checked it.
This is according to a survey of 1,087 Australian pool owners, and was conducted by Pure Profile for D&D Technologies in November 2021. Therefore, December is Check your Pool Gate month and here, we outline the important steps everyone with a pool in their backyards should be taking.
National Drowning Report Statistics
Backyard pools are responsible for over a third of drownings in the under 5's according to the Royal Life Saving Society in their Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2021. Therefore, it is crucial that pool owners take the time to regularly check the safety of their pool areas.
Check your Pool Gate Month starts on December 1st. So, Kids Alive, along with their long-term partners D&D Technologies (the makers of the Aussie made MagnaLatch® pool gate latch) are calling on all pool owners to be more diligent and conduct a safety check today.
Your Checklist for a Safe Pool Area:
- Gate should open outwards, away from the pool
- Latch release knob should be at least 1500mm above ground level
- Self-closing and self-latching gate
- Hinges on gate should be rust-free and bind-free
- Reliable, tension-adjustable hinges on gate
- Adjustable height and width for latch
- Adjustable hinges for closing tension
- Ensure latch cannot be key locked in the “open” position
- Pool latch cannot be disengaged using implements
- The gate latch cannot be shaken or jolted open
- Secure gate which will shut from any open angle or force
- Complies with all Australian Standards for pool safety
Just five minutes out of your day could help to save a life. Check out D&D Technologies’ safety checklist for pool gates, which can be found here.
Reduce Pool Drownings
It only takes 5 minutes to ensure that your pool gate complies with the essential safety checks. Therefore, Check your Pool Gate Month is all part of a concerted effort to reduce pool drowning which occur in the most vulnerable under 5's. For example, by creating safer backyard swimming pools and making it harder for children to gain access to the pool.
Tragically, 25 little ones lost their lives last year to drowning. This is unfortunately a 108% increase on the previous year. As a result, we believe more can be done to prevent these statistics and get closer to our goal of zero drownings.
Visit www.checkyourpoolgate.com.au and download the Perfect Pool Party guide. This booklet provides you with all the safety know-how for your pool fence and gate. This includes tips on how to make your summer pool celebrations safe. It also contains some great ideas for planning the perfect summer pool party.
To find out more about Check your Pool Gate Month, click here.
Join our community and keep up to date with new articles, special offers - it is free to join!
Looking for more information on learning how to swim - don't go past the Swim Library.
