Swimming Pool Expert Witness Drownings

Swimming Pool Expert Witness: 
Safety Devices, Barriers, Maintenance, Supervision & Personal Responsibility

Tragic

No matter how you slice it, the loss of a loved one is tragic.

It is human nature to want to lay blame when one experiences a traumatic event.  

When deficiencies in a project's design, specifications or construction contribute to the loss of life, then someone contributed to that loss.

Responsibility

Life comes with responsibilities.  And those responsibilities include supervising children.

• At the beach or lakefront, there are no safeguards, so guardians must be ever vigilant.
• Living near a busy road requires that the children are watched whenever they are outside.
• Owning firearms includes keeping them safe and secure.
• Cleaning solutions, medicines and poisons need to be kept in child resistant containers and cabinets.
• Driving in the car, requires that children be secured in safety harnesses or car seats.

Maintenance

When a property contains a swimming pool, spa, watershape, pond or fountain, the owners (tennants) bear a responsibility to maintain the safety devices and barriers.  Owning a pool requires "personal responsibility" on the part of the guardians and care givers.  Relying on devices in lieu of adult supervision is insufficient.

Though a project is built to comply with the building codes, accidents can still happen.

• Perimeter fencing can fall into disrepair, fence boards can break, gate latches fail and spring closures become weak.  
• Child safety fences get left open.
• Pool covers get left off or are allowed to decay and tear.
• Door alarms or their batteries are removed.

The owners have a responsibility to ensure that the safety devices are maintained in a good working order.  Though annoying and troublesome, they are a good back-up for that momentary lapse in supervision.

Screen doors should include secondary barriers to prevent "push through" accidents.  Doors to the pool area should have secondary locks out of reach of young children.

Take Responsibility

Taking personal responsibility for the supervision and safety of children under one's care is paramount.  Maintaining the proper function of the back-up safety devices is step two.

A swimming pool should be a place of joyful family gatherings and lasting memories.

Paolo Benedetti, Aquatic Artist You may contact Paolo Benedetti at: info@aquatictechnology.com or 408-776-8220 © Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa, 2013.
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