Summer Safety Tips We Can All Use

By Dan Kerrigan

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 10 deaths due to unintentional drowning per day in the United States.  The CDC also reports that one in five of those deaths are children 14 and under. 

 What can you do to help prevent accidental drowning? 

 If you have a pool in your back yard…

 -Make sure all gates in your fence are self-closing and self-latching

 -Do not store anything near gates and fences (chairs, tables, etc.) that would allow a child to climb up and over the fence

 -Make sure pool drains are covered with an approved cover or grate

 -Inspect any decking around your pool for structural integrity

 -Install door alarms and pool alarms

 -Keep reaching and throwing aids on both sides of your pool

 The International Code Council’s (ICC) Building Safety Month is well underway, and this week’s theme is Surround Your Building with Safety.  The ICC has produced a brochure to remind you of these important swimming pool safety tips and more.  For morepool safety tips as well as grilling safety reminders, visit this Web Site:

  http://www.iccsafe.org/BSM/Documents/PR/BackyardSafetyTips.pdf

 For more facts on unintentional drowning, you can visit the CDC Web Site:

 http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/water-safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html

 Getting the most out of summer recreation activities starts with your personal safety.  Please take the time to insure that your property is a safe place to enjoy the summer!

This post is contributed by a community member. The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Patch Media Corporation. Everyone is welcome to submit a post to Patch. If you'd like to post a blog, go here to get started.