Download Pool Tip #16: Effective Pool Barriers (PDF format, 37KB)

Effective barriers are needed to prevent unattended children from gaining access to a pool or pool area when the pool is temporarily closed between class sessions or for the evening, or shut down for the winter season or for lengthy repairs. A commercial pool should be surrounded by a fence, wall, building, or other barrier that completely encloses the pool area and prevents trespassing or foot traffic through the area. Other protective devices such as alarms and surveillance equipment, safety covers, posting of meaningful signage, and the institution of security patrols may also be effective in deterring trespassers. Pool owners should be reminded that barriers are not a substitute for active supervision. Unattended children should never be permitted in the pool area. Direct supervision by a responsible lifeguard, teacher, parent or other adult possessing swimming and basic rescue skills is the only sure way to prevent pediatric submersion accidents, drowning and other serious accidents around a pool.

Barriers should installed in compliance with local codes and industry recommendations in order to lessen unauthorized entry into the pool area. Because of the obvious need to restrict access to pools in order to protect the public, barrier code requirements have been adopted by most communities. State and county health and safety codes, building codes promulgated by associations such as the: Building Officials Code Administration (BOCA), the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO), Southern Building Code Conference, Congress of Building Officials of America (CABLE); and model codes developed by agencies or organizations such as the National Spa & Pool Institute (NSPI) or the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have all clearly defined what they consider to be effective barriers. However, no device or combination of barriers is fail-safe nor do they guarantee protection.

A properly installed pool barrier fence should not have any openings, external footholds or handholds, indentations or protrusions, or horizontal members which would make it easy to climb. The fence should be installed in a way that prevents other objects, building walls or permanent structures from being used to climb into the pool area. It should not be possible for a young child to slip through any holes or spaces in the fence, or between the bottom of the fence and the ground. Fences and gates should be constructed so that there is less than 2 inches of space between the bottom of the barrier and the ground or pool deck. There should be no holes or spaces in the fence where children could slip through. Vertical members in the barrier should not be more than 4 inches apart, and should not permit a block or sphere 4 inches in diameter to pass through. On ornamental iron fences, the distance between the tops of horizontal members should be greater than 45 inches apart to make them difficult to climb.

In his evaluation of data collected by the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in studies of the physical measurements of over 8,000 randomly selected children living in the U. S., Elliott Stephenson reported in an article entitle “Unsafe Guardrails: The Silent & Inviting Trap” published in the July/August 1993 issue of Fabricator, that approximately one half of all 13 to 18 month old children can successfully pass through a 5 inch wide opening, but that none of the children over one year old could pass through a 4 inch wide opening. Measurement of head size and chest depth of the children in the study showed that approximately 95% of all 10 year olds have head widths of less than 6 inches. The chest depth of 95% of the 7 year olds tested was less than 6 inches. Study results indicate a need to space vertical members in barrier fences no more than 4 inches apart. Fences with openings of 5 or 6 inches or more will not prevent young children from squeezing their bodies through the openings in the fence.

Gates in a pool barrier fence should open outward away from the pool and should be at least as high as the required height of the fence. The gate should self-close and positively self-latch from any open position. Test the gates by opening them and allowing them to close and latch from several different distances with varying amounts of force. Regardless of whether the gate is let go slowly from a few inches or slammed with a great deal of force from several feet, the gate should always close completely and stay latched. Access gates should be locked when the pool is not in use or supervised and the locking mechanism should be mounted on the inside of the gate, located at least 4 feet off the ground, and more than 6 inches below the of the top of the gate. To prevent access to the latch from the exterior of the gate, the latch should be protected by a rigid webbing, shield or plate with openings no greater than 1/4 inch diameter, and installed to either side, below, and above the latch to the top of the gate.

Safety covers which meet strict performance standards (set in the U.S. by the American Society for Testing and Materials in ASTM standard F1346-91) can be installed to prevent access to pool or spa water. The covers have a continuous connection between the pool and deck and are installed in a track, rail or guides, or otherwise locked or secured into the deck. They are capable of supporting a 400 pound per square foot load. Safety covers bear an identification label indicating the name of manufacturer and installer and compliance with ASTM safety cover standards. They are provided with automatic auxiliary pumps or designed in a way which prevents the accumulation of standing water on top of the cover.

Emergency exit doors leading from the pool deck should remain unlocked at all times. Crash bars on the doors should be tested to make sure they are operational.

Invisible infrared or light beam alarms can be installed to detect unauthorized entry onto a pool deck, before an intruder has a chance to get in to the water. Sensors can be installed to transmit a radio frequency to receivers, or light to photoelectric cells. When a human body passes through the beam within the detection range, infrared energy is emitted or a break in the light beam occurs and an alarm is triggered.

Pool alarms can be installed to warn of unauthorized entry into the pool itself or to warn that children or pets have accidentally fallen into a pool. Underwater electronic sensors and medallions, pressure wave tubes, floating surface wave motion devices, or sonar devices can be purchased and easily installed. Most are self-contained and battery operated, and are either permanently mounted, float on the water surface, or are temporarily installed on the edge of the deck. The various sensors either detect an electronic signal emitted by the wearer of a special medallion, detect pressure changes which occur when an object falls into the water, react to wave motion or changes in water surface tension, or perceive a breach in a sonar beam between ultrasonic transducers installed on the walls of the pool below the water surface. To be effective, alarms should be activated as soon as the pool is closed for the day and no longer directly supervised, and continuously during seasons of the year when the pool is not in operation and open for use by swimmers.

A computerized drowning detection system, sold under the brand name Poseidon, has also recently been introduced to the U.S. market. The system utilizes a central processor, overhead and underwater digital video cameras which watch swimmer behavior constantly, a fiberoptic network, flashing lights and buzzers, touch sensitive displays which allow supervisors to zoom in on any area of the pool, and alarm pagers worn by lifeguards or supervisors. The computer, using mathematical algorithms and proprietary technologies developed by the manufacturer, can process the video in real time, record the events, identify unusual situations and can detect someone who is immobile or slowly sinking to the bottom of the pool, indicating a possible drowning, all within 10 seconds. The alarms sound, lights flash, and pagers alert supervisors to the exact coordinates in the pool where the victim is located and the elapsed time in seconds since detection.

For a deterrent to be effective, regular inspection of barriers and proper preventative maintenance is also crucial. Blocking open or forgetting to lock doors or gates, not maintaining fences according to manufacturers’ recommendations, ignoring or disabling alarms, or not installing covers, will render any barrier system useless.