FUN AT THE POOL. DELIGHTFUL OR DEADLY?
by Steven J. Weil, Ph.D., EA, LCAM
Royale Management Services, Inc.
Summer is the time when grandchildren come to visit and to enjoy the pool, but what mother of a young child would argue that you can’t take your eyes off a child for a minute?
It’s important to pay attention to pool and water safety, especially when it comes to children. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Every day about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger. Drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the U.S.” Florida leads the nation in drowning deaths, and it’s the leading cause of preventable death for children 1 to 4 years old.
Small children can drown in as little as one inch of water. It’s best to teach 4-year olds to swim.
Yet many associations have eliminated age and other restrictions form their pool rules. This is because the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination against families, and certain restrictions have been grounds for lawsuits and claims of discrimination even though the restrictions were intended to protect the children. Except for senior community pools, associations cannot prohibit children from using swimming pools, establish adults-only pools, or establish adults-only swim times.
That’s one reason why it’s more important than ever for parents, grandparents and other adults who are responsible for children to make sure that they set rules to protect their children from the dangers that exist when children and water meet. Even a child who is a good swimmer can get distracted, hurt and drown. It can happen in the blink of an eye.
There is no substitute for active supervision. Responsible adults need to make sure that children are always supervised when in or around pools and other bodies of water. That supervision means more than just being in the area. It means knowing exactly where your child or children are whenever they are at the pool or around the water.
Just because age restrictions or a requirement for adult supervision for minors has been deleted from the pool rules, responsible adults can still make common sense rules and apply them to their own children and grandchildren.
Here are a few questions to ask about child safety and about your association’s pool area:
As managers, we want everyone to enjoy all the association’s amenities, including the pool; but, more importantly, we want everyone, especially the children, to be safe.
