When you had your swimming pool installed, your Knoxville, Tennessee swimming pool contractor may have asked whether you wanted to have a diving board or slide installed at the same time. Whether you opted for these accessories at the time of your pool build or not, they can always be added at a later date. If the time is now for you to install these fun water accessories, there are certain safety rules that must be put in place.
Having access to a slide or a diving board in your swimming pool certainly adds to the fun, but as the swimming pool builders at Tipton Pools will tell you, they mean an added responsibility for everyone involved. May pool owners view a diving board as an add-on to the pool fun but diving boards are the cause of many a backyard mishap. Once you have one installed, it will be part of your pool contractors regular maintenance routine to check to make certain it is secure and that the sandpaper finish is still viable. He will also check for cracks in the foundation securing the diving board. As with all swimming pool safety tips, make certain children who use the board and the pool are supervised at all times. Use extreme caution – or avoid the swimming pool altogether, if you’re imbibing alcohol.
Here are diving board safety tips:
- Use diving boards the way they are intended – one person using it at a time, and making certain the water is deep enough for diving.
- Never dive – or swim – alone.
- Stay out from under the board when someone is on it.
- Know the weight limits of the diving board.
- Make sure when you jump away from the board that you jump far enough away so you don’t hit your head.
- Don’t run on the board – it can be slippery and you could slip and fall.
- Avoid the diving board – and the pool – if you’ve been drinking.
- Don’t dive from the board if the pool is crowded with swimmers.
If you have a slide for your swimming pool, here are some slide-specific safety tips:
- Never use the slide alone. Make certain the slide has been installed to manufacturer specs.
- Ensure routine maintenance is undertaken to make certain pool is secure. Know the weight limits of the pool slide.
- Only one person at a time should be going down the slide. To avoid head and neck injury, always go down the slide feet first.