Put Tools Away

After doing yard work, the simplest way to prevent injuries is to put everything away. Many of the tools used for yard work are made for cutting, which means they have sharp edges and points. You may set a pair of clippers down in the grass, and forget about them when you go inside. Kids are curious, and the first thing they’re going do when they find those clippers is pick them up and play with them. They could also step on them in sandals or worse, bare feet, and end up cutting themselves. Always put yard tools away immediately after finishing with them. This is especially important when it comes to the lawnmower. Never leave that unattended. It only takes a few seconds for an ambitious child to start it, and be injured by it. Also remember a riding lawnmower is a powerful tool, not a fun ride. If you have one, don’t let your kids ride on your lap while you’re mowing. They can fall off and be severely injured.

Keep the Pool Deck Clean

When kids get in the pool, there’s a lot of splashing, resulting in a lot of water ending up on the deck. You may think it will just dry up in the sun, so you don’t really need to worry about it. This is true, for the most part. But if you live in an older home, and everything has had several years to settle, the concrete around the pool may not be completely level. There may be spots where water collects and sits longer. Sure, the pool water is probably chlorinated, but water will also collect in those spots when it rains, and if it’s left to sit, especially in a shaded area, algae may begin to grow. Other than being unsightly, algae is also very slippery. Leaving it to proliferate will only invite slip and fall accidents. When you maintain the pool, remember to clean the entire area around it.

Use Minimal Chemicals

Few yards are without pests. Ants will make themselves at home in the grass, wasps may build nests in your home’s eaves, and in the evenings, mosquitoes come out in force. In addition, you may work hard to keep your lawn green, and the weeds to a minimum. To control all of these factors in your yard, you may resort to using chemicals. While effective, insecticides, fertilizers, and herbicides are toxic to humans and other animals. Follow the instructions on these products carefully. For example, don’t allow your kids or pets to walk on the grass until anything you’ve sprayed on it has dried completely. Also, store all these chemicals in a garage or shed with a locking door to keep young kids from getting into them. The best option is to try using natural alternatives to chemicals. Sometimes a simple mixture of soap and water is enough to keep pests off of flowering plants. Search the Internet for safe, natural methods of pest control.

Don’t let your summer be ruined by illness or injury that can be easily prevented with just a little common sense.

From 1985 to 2004, at least 33 children ages 14 and under died as a result of pool and spa entrapment, and nearly 100 children were seriously injured. But according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Safe Kids Worldwide, the number of entrapment deaths could be much higher than reported. Because entrapment is generally a little-known risk for drowning, it is possible that many drowning deaths have not been classified as entrapment.

The suction from a pool drain can be so powerful that it can hold an adult under water, but most entrapment incidents involve children. CPSC recommends a professional inspection of your pool or spa for entrapment hazards. This inspection should check that appropriate drain covers are in place, and that missing or broken drain covers are replaced, as they are a major cause of entrapment incidents. Pool and spa owners are advised to install a Safety Vacuum Release System or SVRS, which detects when a drain is blocked and automatically shuts off the pool pump or interrupts the water circulation to prevent an entrapment. The CPSC publications “Guidelines for Entrapment Hazards: Making Pools and Spas Safer” and “Swimming Pool Safety Alert” contain more information.

Abigail’s parents, Scott and Katey Taylor, lobbied for tougher regulations to help prevent injuries like Abigail’s and on December 19, 2007, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, became a law. This act is named after the daughter of Nancy Baker and the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker who died in a tragically in June 2002 after the suction from a spa drain trapped her under the water.

The focus of this new is making pools and spas safer, securing the area around the pool or spa, and educating consumers and industry on pool safety in order to reduce the 260 yearly pool and spa drownings involving children younger than 5 and suction entrapment deaths and injuries. By December 19, 2008, swimming pool and spa drain covers sold in the U.S. are required to meet specific requirements. Public swimming pools, wading pools, spas and hot tubs must meet requirements for installation of compliant drain covers and in certain circumstances, mandatory installation of additional devices or systems designed to prevent suction entrapment.

This problem has been ongoing since 1985 and it wasn’t until 2008 that a law was enacted to protect our children. This seems to be another perfect example of how Corporate America won’t voluntarily make changes to ensure the safety of the public until it hurts them in the pocketbook or they are forced to comply by law. Either way, it’s too late for the families of Abigail Taylor and Virginia Graeme Baker.