Heading to the pool is a wonderful way to spend quality time together and have the kids exercise and play. That's why it's important to stay healthy and start off the summer season with some safety tips.
A little preparation can help you cool off in safety.
If the heat and humidity of summer have you down, you can find relief by diving into a pool. Swimming pools are a great place to exercise while cooling off from the searing temperatures of the summer months. What could be better than jumping into the water on a hot, sunny day? Still, it’s important to keep safety in mind, says Jenny McCuiston, a former Olympic Trials swimmer and co-founder of Goldfish Swim School Franchise, LLC, a swim school franchise with 88 locations throughout the U.S. and one in Canada. “Each summer, families start spending more time in and around the water,” McCuiston says. “Heading to the pool with friends and family is a wonderful way to spend quality time together and have the kids exercise and play. Water and summer, after all, go hand in hand. That’s why it’s important to stay healthy and start off the summer season with safety tips, whether they involve swimming safety, wearing the proper gear, brushing up on your (water) skills or even UV protection tips.”
1. Read and follow the rules.
Before you jump in the water, read the pool’s rules, which are typically posted in a prominent location at or near the pool entrance, McCuiston says. Pool rules often include prohibitions on swimming if you have a cold or other contagious disease, as well as running on the pool deck, diving in the shallow end and bringing recreational equipment, like a ball, unless authorized by the lifeguard. Pool rules also typically require swimmers to wear proper swimsuits and all children to be accompanied by an adult. If you take your child to the pool, be sure he or she understands and follows the rules.
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2. Learn basic water safety skills.
You don’t need to have the swimming skills of U.S. Olympic champions Katie Ledecky or Michael Phelps to have a good and safe time at the pool, McCuiston says. “Basic water safety skills — like treading water, how to properly get in and out of the pool, floating on your back and the crab walk — can go a long way” toward keeping you safe at the pool, she says. Of course, taking swimming lessons is also a good idea. There are programs like Goldfish Swim School across the country that focus on children’s water safety. YMCA facilities and many local community swimming pools offer swim lessons at little or no cost. You can look for swimming programs in your area through the USA Swimming Foundation. Private lessons are another option.
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3. Bring a life jacket.
If you or your child are novice swimmers and haven’t yet mastered water safety skills, always wear life jackets in or near a body of water, says Lindsay Mondick, senior manager, aquatics for YMCA of the USA. Be sure to get life jackets that have been approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, she says. Not all such jackets have the Coast Guard’s seal of approval, which is typically found on the tag inside the jacket.
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4. Don’t swim alone.
“No one should ever swim by themselves, in case of accident,” Mondick says. Don’t enter the water unless there’s a lifeguard at the pool or a responsible friend; for kids, this means a parent or guardian who could help in the event of a mishap in the water.
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5. Have pool safety items handy.
In addition to life jackets, you should have basic safety items on hand at the pool, says Greg Longe, chief executive officer of British Swim School, which has nearly 200 swim schools in 21 states in the U.S. and internationally. Be sure to have a working, charged cellphone, in case you need to call 911, as well as a first aid kit and a ring buoy you can toss to someone during a water safety emergency.
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6. Keep the pool deck clear.
It’s important to keep the area around the pool tidy, Longe says. “Abandoned floats, balls or other toys in or around the pool area can act as a temptation for a child to be near the pool area unsupervised,” he says. “Glass bottles are another potential hazard around the pool at any time, as they could easily get knocked (into the water) unintentionally.”
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7. Check the water temperature.
Test the water temperature before you get into the pool, McCuiston says. Jumping into cold water can shock your body and elevate your heart rate and blood pressure, and also slow your muscles, making it difficult to swim. “Listen to your body,” she says. “If it’s too cold for you, it’s going to be too cold for kids. Keep the festivities on dry land if you are not comfortable. If you are adamant about getting in the water, you should consider a wetsuit, and stay in shallow water. Avoid swimming after it rains, as water and air temperature will be cooler.”
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8. Wear sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses.
Whether you’re in the water or lounging with a book on the pool deck, be sure to liberally apply sunscreen with a high level of protection from ultraviolet rays, Mondick says. “If you are spending time outside, you should wear UV-protected sunglasses, a hat and waterproof sunscreen to help protect yourself from the sun’s rays,” she says. She notes that the Food and Drug Administration recommends using a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher to protect your skin from aging and cancer. Also, “broad spectrum” sunscreens will block harmful ultraviolet rays. Whatever sunscreen you use, limit your time in the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun’s rays are at their highest levels of intensity. The FDA recommends reapplying sunscreen at least every two hours, and more often if you are in and out of the water often.
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9. Shower before you swim.
Whatever you have on your skin — sweat, dirt or oil — will be in the pool if you get in without showering. In a 2019 survey by the Water Quality & Health Council, more than 51% of Americans report “using a swimming pool as a communal bathtub,” by either swimming as a substitute for showering or using the pool to rinse off after strenuous activity. The findings are bad news for everyone. “When dirt, sweat, personal care products and other things on our body react with chlorine, there is less chlorine available to kill germs,” says Chris Wiant, chair of the Water Quality & Health Council, an independent group sponsored by the Chlorine Chemistry Division of the American Chemistry Council. “Rinsing off for just one minute removes most of the dirt, sweat or anything else on your body.”
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10. Don’t pee in the pool.
This one should be a no-brainer. Nonetheless, the Water Quality & Health Council’s survey found that 40% of Americans admit they’ve urinated in the pool as an adult. Urine reacts with chlorine, reducing the amount of chlorine available to combat and kill germs. “The bottom line is: Don’t pee in the pool,” says Michele Hlavsa, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy Swimming Program. “Swimming is a great way to be physically active, and not peeing in the pool is a key healthy swimming step.”
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11. Don’t swim with open wounds.
Those urban myths that suggest that swimming chlorine or salt water can help “disinfect” or clean a wound? Don’t believe them, says Dr. Richard N. Bradley, the chief of emergency medical services and disaster medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston. “Bacteria can enter through an open wound and cause a serious or even fatal infection,” Bradley says. “There are some kinds of bacteria that can be found in sea water, and other kinds that are found in fresh water. The key thing to remember is that all water has bacteria in it, including sea water and chlorinated pool water. As hard as it can be to sit out when everyone else is having fun, the risk just isn’t worth it.” If you nonetheless go into the pool with an open wound and start to see signs of infection, like increased pain, tenderness and redness at the site of the injury, contact your doctor or go to an emergency department right away.
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12. Keep an eye on the lifeguards.
If the lifeguards at your community pool are distracted and aren’t focused on the people in the pool whose safety they’re protecting, don’t hesitate to express your concerns directly to the pool manager, says Richard A. Carroll, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Ellis & Associates, an international aquatic safety and risk management consulting firm dedicated to the prevention of drowning. The firm is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. If this doesn’t result in immediate correction, consider contacting the pool manager’s supervisor, he says. Remember, you always have the option of contacting the appropriate government regulatory agency, like your local or state health department. “Actively taking steps to correct unsafe conditions or behavior, especially when perpetrated by lifeguards charged with ensuring safe conditions and behavior, might indirectly save a life,” Carroll says.
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13. Check your local pool’s inspection record.
Health inspection records are public information and can give you a good sense of how well your local community pool is maintained, says Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials. The government office that provides these records varies by jurisdiction; it could be the local health department, the parks and recreation department or another arm of government. Nearly 8 in 10 swimming pool inspection reports found at least one violation of health and safety regulations, according to a 2016 report by the CDC. The report said 1 in 8 inspections found problems so serious the pool had to be closed right away. The Water Quality & Health Council provides an online list of public swimming pool inspection reports in local jurisdictions in more than 20 states.
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