While many Florida schools are out for the summer, the official beginning of the summer season hasn’t happened yet. In just a couple of weeks, it will. Now is the time for Florida homeowners and others to become familiar with the laws that govern swimming pool safety for residential pools. All of these laws are meant to help reduce the number of accidents that occur in these pools.
What structures must adhere to the Florida laws?
Any structure that is at least 24 inches deep and will be used for recreational use must adhere to these guidelines. This includes spas, hot tubs, and pools. Any structure that meets these guidelines must have at least one safety feature that is meant to stop children from entering the pool unattended.
What are the acceptable safety features?
The residential pool can have a self-latching and self-closing device on any door that leads to the pool. It can have an approved safety pool cover, an approved isolating barrier or exit alarms on windows and doors that provide direct access to the pool area. In addition to having to comply with one of those safety features, the pool must also have an approved method to prevent drain entrapment.
Even with swift medical treatment, the lasting effects for a person who almost drowns can be serious. In some cases, the near-drowning victim might suffer from brain damage or end up in a vegetative state. In some cases, death might occur. In each of these cases, the care necessary for the victim can be considerable and might lead to claims for compensation. This is especially true if a homeowner was negligent and didn’t install the legally required safety features.
Source: University of Florida: IFAS Extension, “Residential Swimming Pool Safety,” accessed June 09, 2015
