While there are a limited number of companies in South Africa capable of producing safety products for swimming pools, the real issue lies in the resistance or ignorance of the wider industry, and the public, to such safety covers.
Safety Legislation for swimming pools is currently in draft format in Johannesburg and will most likely require the use of a safety cover, pool fence or a net. It is logical to expect this legislation to be adopted in other centres in the country with minimal changes. Pool builders should be in a position to advise on the best safety cover to use as well as its associated benefits – in fact, I would like to see the pool builder supply such a cover when commissioning the pool.
There is no real safety champion in the industry and this is a role which PowerPlastics Pool Covers finds itself increasingly adopting. Tragedies offer no benefit of hindsight as it is too late!! Pool Shops, Pool Maintenance businesses as well as Swim Schools, can be fantastic ambassadors for safety around pools if they embraced the idea sufficiently.
Modern safety covers are easy to use without hooks and eyelets – a fact which must be communicated to pool owners who have an impression that such covers use hooks and eyelets and are extremely difficult to operate.
In the current environment, the pool owner is safety proofing his own pool by directly contacting the few companies who produce the correct safety covers. This does not say much for the industry’s commitment to safety.
Pool safety does not mean unsightly fences, difficult to use covers and nets that require time and effort to use. Safety can be provided through an elegant cover which enhances the entertainment area and can be manufactured in the customers choice of colour. Safety covers offer other benefits too – reduced evaporation, cleaner pools, less chemical usage and do not accumulate rain water!
South Africa lags behind most of the world in pool safety. Let’s get involved and adopt the principles of the newly started LeadSA initiative and make South Africa’s pools safe. Don’t wait until it is too late to save a little life. Don’t wait for legislation to force us to make a dangerous household item safe. Don’t wait for someone else to do something or for someone else’s tragedy to make you act.
By Carolyn Idas, PowerPlastics Pool Covers
