It’s summertime here in Indiana. Kids are out of school looking for things to do to keep cool on warm summer days. Adults may find themselves at backyard barbeques looking to do the same. This desire leads many people to venture to a friend’s house or a community pool looking to take a splash or go for a swim.
Many people associate pools with having fun. Visiting a pool isn’t all fun and games, though. There are inherent dangers associated with doing so. Learning what these hazards are may aid you in staying safe this summer.
Some of the most common ways people suffer injuries at swimming pools
If you’re like most people, the first thing that comes to mind regarding dangers you face when visiting a pool is drowning. That’s not the only danger you must worry about. There are also:
- Slips and falls: How many times have you watched in horror as your kids ran around on a pool on the tiling that surrounds it only to lose their footing and slide or fall? It’s not uncommon for pool-goers to slip and tear ligaments and hit their head as they fall to the ground after coming upon a slippery tile at their local pool.
- Electrical issues: You have to worry about two major electrical issues as far as swimming pools are concerned. You risk suffering an electrical shock if the ground wires and the electrical system aren’t properly bond. Pools that only have a single drain also put swimmers at risk of having a body part sucked into the pump line, causing potentially fatal injuries.
- Chemical toxicity: Pool goers can develop skin rashes or experience skin inhalation issues if their owners put too many chemicals in the water. The opposite can happen if they put too little in. It’s not uncommon for pool visitors to develop bacterial infections such as staph from swimming in contaminated water.
- Problems with stairs and ladders: Improper illumination at night and the lack of handrails or loose screws affixing ladders to the side of the pool are just a few reasons why individuals may lose their footing, striking their heads, falling back into the water and drowning, or suffering other injuries.
- Dangers of slides and diving boards: Falls from slides and diving boards account for 50% of pool injuries.
The list above is only a few of the many different ways that pool visitors may get hurt. There are steps pool owners can take to improve the safety of their visitors, such as performing regular maintenance. You may be able to file a claim to recover compensation if they failed to do all that they could have to keep you safe.
