The question has been asked. Is there too much emphasis on swimming pool safety? I know that over the past few months I have written several posts about how to stay safe around the swimming pool. In all my efforts to pass on information to my readers I never really stopped to ask myself if I am putting too much stress on staying safe. Some people may feel that this “over emphasis” on swimming pool safety may be causing to be overly worried about swimming in their pools, or buying pools in the first place. Is this really the case though?
It is my personal opinion that there is no such thing as being overly cautious around a pool. I think that any tips that people may not know are absolutely worth sharing. The fact is that these tips I give are meant to help people, not scare them away. I know that when it comes to my family and friends, I will do anything to ensure that they remain safe. If part of that anything is researching ways to stay safe in the pool then so be it. I don’t think that putting emphasis on safety is going to scare people away from getting a pool much like how “Shark Week” doesn’t scare people away from swimming in the ocean. The fact that there is an inherent risk involved with swimming and that is the only reason there is so much emphasis on safety in the first place. If anything what is going to scare people away from getting pools is all of this media attention on people getting shocked in their pools.
So why are people getting shocked and electrocuted in their pools. I am willing to go out on a limb here and say that it could be due to the fact that they do not know that they should get their pool lights inspected each year. Most people would also not even think twice about it, being under the impression that the lights are made for this purpose so they couldn’t possible cause harm. Just this scenario alone is enough to make me think that there is not enough stress on swimming pool safety. Unfortunately that is not where the issue stops. Every year people experience unfortunate events around swimming pools. This is an ongoing problem, and it is going to continue until people wise up. The idea that too much emphasis on swimming pool safety is a bad thing is absurd. That is like saying that we should stop crash testing cars because it makes people too afraid to buy them. No, we should continue to crash test cars so that people know which cars are better suited in the event of an accident. We need to apply that same mindset to the way we deal with swimming pools, and I feel that some have already started. There are many companies out there that are trying to better our swimming pool experience through various safety measures. We have companies that manufacture safety covers, we have companies that make low voltage lighting for swimming pools. We even have local building codes requiring fences around swimming pools. These are all steps toward the right direction. It is very unlikely that everyone is just going to stop swimming because people like myself are trying to make their swimming pool experience safer and more enjoyable. However, what is more likely to stop people from swimming is faulty equipment, not knowing what to do in certain situations, and the higher risk of something bad happening because they don’t know how to prevent it. Don’t put too much stress on safety because it makes people afraid of swimming pools… Give me a break already. That is like saying don’t put too much emphasis on stretching out before exercising because then people will be afraid to exercise. What? Exactly. It just doesn’t make much sense when you stop to think about it.
It is important for people to be safe around their pools. Likewise people want to be safe around their pools. People are researching the topic everyday. Why? Because people love their pools and want to swim in them, but they also want to make sure that they are safe while doing it. The only thing that reducing the emphasis on safety will do is cause people to wonder what they can do to stay safe or cause people to stop being as safe. In any situation it is important to get the facts ahead of time. That is the only way to make an educated decision about something. I would venture to say that people, especially in today’s tech savvy world, are already researching the pros and cons of owning a swimming pool before they buy one.
On the other hand, perhaps it’s not the message that is over emphasized, but the way in which that message is delivered that needs to be altered a bit. After inserting the pictures on this page I realized that many of them seem to use statistical data as a scare tactic. That is what may need to change. However I would be interested to get some feedback from my readers as to where they stand on this issue. Do you think that there is too much emphasis on swimming pool safety? Do you think that the emphasis on safety is having a negative effect on swimming pool sales? Seriously let me know what you think. There are no wrong answers. I have just expressed my opinion on the matter, and now I would like to read yours.
