New federal law mandated by the CPSC around pool drains
Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 3:37 amCategory: In the News
The following is a story from NBC Action News today about pool drains and the danger they pose to children. The CPSC recently made it a federal requirement for new drain covers to be installed that make it less likely for a child to be sucked down by the pool drain. This requirement is for public pools and not home pools, but parents should still know the suction of their pool drain and consider changing the drain cover.
Safe Kids has also launched a Pool Safety Pledge - to take the pledge and learn more about how to keep your children safe, click on http://sk.convio.net/site/Survey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&SURVEY_ID=5502
Here is a link to the NBC news story and the text below. http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Will-the-Public-Pools-Be-Ready-Under-New-Law/VCq6nU3KikyUB_MFl_-7Nw.cspx
Will the Public Pools Be Ready Under New Law?
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LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. - A new federal law requires all public pools and spas to replace old drain covers to reduce suction power. The goal is to keep swimmers from being trapped underwater. A flat cover is the wrong type of cover to have. NBC Action News was there Tuesday as a diver from Olympic Pool Management made a neighborhood pool safer for swimmers this summer. He replaced the drain cover, so the pool will comply with a new federal law that could save lives by keeping children from being trapped. One worker explained that sometimes kids would go down to the bottom of pool, sit on the flat drain cover and be trapped by the suction. The new grate is an improvement. With the dome shape, you can’t block all of the vents, and the suction can’t build up. At another pool nearby, Bryan Bumgarner shows us a drain cover he invented. It converts a single drain to a double. The new drains are 36 inches apart. The separation decreases the suction power. And it’s far enough that a child can’t block both. “So if a child would fall on this one, it’s sucking off this one. So that’s the safety part about it, it’s a dual safety system,” said Bumgarner, of Crystal Mountain Specialties. Bumgarner’s crews are working around the clock to get ready. But he says many pools won’t be in compliance when they open this weekend. “Hundreds of them. There’s no way. There’s not enough parts. We can’t get parts in fast enough,” Bumgarner said. The retrofit cost the Canterbury Homes Association in Lee’s Summit $500. Bigger pools can cost thousands of dollars. The Homes Association president, Linda Marshall, said they’ve never had a problem at this neighborhood pool. “I think it’s probably overkill, but if it saves the life of one kid, I suppose it’s probably worth it.” Marshall said parents usually keep a very close eye on their children. Parents should ask their pools manager whether the pool is in compliance. And you can look at the drain cover yourself. If it’s flat, it’s old and illegal. Safer ones have a curve or dome shape. But to make things more complicated, the danger level really depends on the suction force, and every pool is different. |
