There has been an increased awareness of child drownings over the last couple of months. This sad and devastating tragedy can be avoided and as such the Gauteng Local Government is in the process of putting legislation in place to ensure pool owners take responsibility for securing their pool area.
There have been mixed feelings within the swimming pool industry in South Africa as they feel that such legislation will dissuade people from installing new swimming pools.
At Ridd's Aqua Centre we are 100% behind any such legislation. Our children's safety and right to a safe environment far outweighs any possible negative impact on our industry.
We believe that the safest way to secure a pool is by means of a Pool Safety Net. Any other precaution is an added safety measure, but the safety net should be your primary safety feature.
The reason for this is because the net cannot be removed by a child, it cannot collect water, and it discourages children playing on it(as would be the case with a solid cover). Fencing is problematic in that children find ways of opening the gate, I have reported cases of a child (3-4years) pulling a chair closer and opening the gate. I have never heard of a child removing a net. The other problem with fences is the limited access to the pool in case a child breaches the barrier, those precious seconds are needed to get to the child, not to get into the pool surround!
The biggest danger in a pool fence is the false sense of security that it creates.
YOUR CHILD SHOULD NEVER BE IN OR AROUND A POOL UNSUPERVISED IRRESPECTIVE OF THE SAFETY MEASURES THAT ARE IN PLACE!
When choosing a safety net installer, care should be taken to ensure that the products that they use are of a high quality, and that the company is unwilling to compromise on the quality of the work.
One such company is PoolSafetyNet.co.za. We would recommend you contact them for any net related enquiries.
