By Cara Lewis

Who would think that a nice, cool, inviting pool could go from "summer treat" to "dangerous trap" in the blink of an eye? While pools can serve as havens from summer heat, suction from a pool's drain can trap a swimmer under the water, resulting in serious injury or drowning.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that 250 children under five years old drown each year, and another 2,300 are treated for injuries in hospitals.

Children are not the only ones at risk. Since 1990, 130 adults have been entrapped in pool and spa drains, resulting in 27 deaths, according to the CPSC.

While closely supervising a pool area is the best way to prevent an entrapment accident, there are several other ways to protect children from this hazard.

Fences help thwart entrapment by limiting access to the pool. Using a self-closing, self-latching gate can help keep children from entering the pool area.

The second level of protection is a safety pool cover, according to Tracy Gardner, vice president and general manager of Springfield, Va.-based Town and Country Pools. Gardner estimates that about 60-70 percent of his customers have automatic pool covers, and his company installs a safety cover on every new pool they build. "The (cover) opens and closes within 60 seconds, and once closed it will not allow anyone to enter pool," says Gardner.

Also, check a pool's drain covers before each use, because they become brittle and will break or come loose and fall off. Suzanne Barrows, senior director of communications and marketing for the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals, recommends that pool owners not allow anyone in the pool if a drain cover is missing or broken. For pools with only one drain, Barrows suggests anti-vortex drain covers.

"The main thing [to prevent entrapment] would be to have your pool or hot tub inspected by an Association of Pool and Spa Professionals member," advises Barrows. Find an APSP member, and more safety information, at www.theapsp.org (or call 800-323-3996).

Cara Lewis wrote this article in 2005 as an intern at Mark Wright Communications LLC for Safe Homes Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Mark Wright Communications LLC. All rights reserved.

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