Pools are a wonderful addition to the home; they allow for the opportunity to entertain and a chance for us to get outside and relax. Unfortunately, they do come with some risks and liabilities for the homeowner. One of the most significant opportunities for danger is an unsupervised child wandering into the backyard and pool area.
One of our best opportunities to prevent this starts at the property side gates. The gates accessing the backyard are required to be at least 60 inches high and not climbable. The latch should also be 60 inches tall so as not to be accessible to young hands. There should not be items stored around the gate that create any climbing or ladder effect, and the gate can not be made of material that contains opportunities for foot and hand holds.
The gate should open away from the backyard and pool. This ensures that a child leaning on an unlatched gate could not push it open by accident. The gate should have a self-closing spring attached and naturally self-latch when it closes. It is not required to be locked, but it is highly recommended.
If your pool does not meet these safety requirements, there are lots of options on the market for a low-cost entry point for you to consider. If you are uncertain or have questions, please feel free to reach out; we are always happy to help 🙂