In Ground Pool Safety
Garrett Liners is pleased to provide our customers, and the community, with the following safety tips for in ground swimming pools, including information on non-diving and diving pools.
Information You Must Know
- Any diving, either head-first or otherwise, can be dangerous, and may result in permanent paralysis or death. If a diver’s head hits the bottom or pool sides, crippling injury to the neck or spinal cord can result.
- Diving from either the shallow end wall or the sides of the pools is especially dangerous, even when employing a “shallow” or “racing” dive.
- It is your responsibility to:
- Warn users of the hazards of diving and the pool.
- Enforce all safety rules.
- Properly maintain the pool and its safety equipment and warnings, and correct any dangerous conditions.
Action You Must Take
- Affix the “Danger – No Diving” labels to your pool, as shown on page 4 of the printable booklet. These labels are intended to clearly indicate to all pool users those areas where diving is unsafe. Failure to apply these labels could result in the permanent paralysis or death of a pool user.
- Post the pool safety sign. Select the location where it will be most visible to all pool users before they use the pool. Make sure it is not obscured by shrubbery, by the opening of a gate or door, or by anything else.
- Read the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP) publication “The Sensible Way to Enjoy Your Inground Swimming Pool”.
- Refer to the card accompanying this booklet to determine what APSP type of pool you have.
- If your pool is classified as NON-DIVING (Type 0 or Non-Conforming), it is not considered safe by current APSP Standards to use any diving equipment on it.
- If your pool is now equipped with any diving equipment, you must immediately remove it.
- Never permit diving in the pool.
- If your pool is classified as DIVING (Type I, II, III, IV, or V ), you must:
- Check that the tip of the board overhangs the pool wall the proper distance to provide water deep enough for safe diving in accordance with APSP Standards. Your pool professional can provide you with this information.
- Check that your diving equipment is not of a higher Type than the Type of your pool (i.e., you can not use Type III diving equipment on a Type II pool).
- Acquaint all pool users – and especially first time visitors – with the bottom contours, slopes, depth, length, width, and possible hazards before they enter the pool.
- If your pool is equipped with a slide, the installation must conform to Consumer Product Safety Commission installation standards and include all Consumer Product Safety Commission “Intended Use Safety Decals.”
- Establish and enforce common sense rules for pool safety, such as:
- Never swim alone and never allow unsupervised swimming.
- Even if your pool is classified as “Diving”, never, never permit anyone to run and dive or make long, deep, or fancy dives, as body velocity could carry them too far or too deep, resulting in permanent paralysis or death.
- No horseplay or rough-housing.
- Never swim when using alcohol or drugs – it is no safer than drinking and driving.
- Never use the pool without safe lighting in the pool and deck area.
- Have a high fence with a self-locking gate.
- Have recommended safety equipment at pool site.
- Chlorinate, clean, and maintain your pool regularly to ensure clear water.
- If your children do not know how to swim, enroll them in a “Learn to Swim” program.
- Be sure visitors to your pool know how to swim, or are adequately supervised.
- This is an important safety document Keep it in a safe place. Be sure to pass it on to any new owner.
Please Note
- In the absence of information to the contrary, we assume that yours is a residential in ground pool. If it is not – that is, if it is for a hotel, motel, apartment complex, campground, condominium, swim club, etc., or if it is an above ground pool – please contact us at once. This is necessary because the Standards for non-residential pools are quite different from residential Standards, and above ground Standards are different from in ground Standards.
- If you feel that the APSP Type shown on the card accompanying this booklet is not the correct one for your pool, please contact us at once. We want to be sure you have the right safety information.
If you have any safety-related questions or problems that your installer cannot adequately address, please contact us.
Important: Do You Need New Signs or Labels?
If the appropriate safety information, sign, or labels are not included with the liner, or become defaced or lost, additional copies can be obtained at no charge by writing to us or calling us at (800) 222-3650.
Instructions for Use: “DANGER – NO DIVING” Labels
Before anyone is allowed to use your pool, affix the enclosed “Danger – No Diving” labels to your pool. They should be placed where they are most visible to users of your pool.
If your pool has smooth metal or plastic coping of sufficient size, the front edge of the coping is the best location. If the coping is not smooth, is not big enough, or is of some other material, the liner, between the waterline and the coping, is an alternative location.
It is important that the surface you select is clean, smooth, and dry before applying the labels. Remove the backing, then start at the top of the label, aligning the top edge horizontally. Carefully smooth the label from the top down very lightly to remove air and wrinkles. When in place, press firmly.
Labels should be placed as shown below, depending upon the shape of your pool. If a section of coping or liner must be removed to accommodate a stair, skimmer, swim-out, or accessory at a location where a label would be placed, locate the label in the most visible location as close as possible to the intended position. Be sure that these labels are not tampered with, defaced, or removed. If they become defaced or lost, additional copies can be obtained at no charge by writing or calling us.
Click here for a printable In Ground Pool Safety & Maintenance Booklet.
