The Safety Benefits of Pool Railings

Pool railings, sometimes also called pool fencing, are among the most effective ways to make your pool safer. Pool railings help prevent children from gaining unsupervised access to your pool. When combined with pool alarms, they can also notify you when someone has entered the premises around your pool. This helps prevent tragic accidents and makes your pool and those using it safer and more secure. Let’s take a comprehensive look at the benefits of pool railings.

Prevent Unintentional Drowning

The major safety benefit of pool railings is that they can help to prevent pool accidents. Unintentional drowning is surprisingly common in the United States, ranking as the fifth-leading cause of unintentional injury death. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 10 people die every single day in the United States from unintentional drowning. Of these 10 people, 2 are age 14 or younger. Unintentional drowning is the second-leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4 after birth defects, and drowning accounts for over 30 percent of all unintentional deaths in children between the ages of 1 and 4. The majority of these cases of drowning happened in a pool as opposed to a natural body of water.

For every child that perishes from drowning, an additional five children are sent to the emergency room to receive emergency care for submersion injuries. Submersion injuries, though not fatal, can be quite serious, causing brain damage that can result in an array of long-term problems, including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning.

The CDC identified a number of factors that put a child at risk of unintentional drowning, including a lack of swimming ability and a lack of supervision. However, a lack of barriers to prevent unsupervised water access is arguably one of the most significant risk factors — and it is also the easiest to address. Putting up pool railings or a pool fence to restrict unsupervised access to your pool is one of the most effective ways to prevent unintentional drowning. In fact, a four-sided isolation fence that offers a barrier between your pool area and your home and yard reduces a child’s risk of unintentional drowning by a remarkable 83 percent.

Installing Pool Railings: What You Should Know

In order to reap all of the safety benefits of pool railings, you need to install the right type. Ideally, you will want a four-sided pool railing system that separates your pool from both your home and your yard, as opposed to just railings around the perimeter of your yard. Railings should be a minimum of 4 feet high, and all gates should be self-closing and self-latching. Latches should always be completely out of reach of children.

As long as these requirements are met, you’re free to install pool railings that are suited to your preferences. For example, you might consider Webnet Infill Panels around your pool. Aluminum railings can also be an excellent option. The key is to shop around for something that meets the appropriate safety requirements and your aesthetic preferences. You want something safe and sturdy that looks great in your yard.