With Memorial Day traditionally marking the start of summertime, a growing number of public pools are reopening across the country. These include thousands of pools across the United States serving apartment communities. As pools open, it behooves us all to take a moment to refresh ourselves on some important overall pool safety practices to best protect ourselves and our loved ones this summer.
Protecting Against Apartment Pool Drowning
An average of 3,500 people die in the United State from unintentional drownings not related boating, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That amounts to about 10 people a day who lose their lives by drowning in public, apartment, residential, and other pools as well as at the beach. 20 percent of drowning fatalities are children who are 14 or younger.
The risk of drowning in an apartment pool is lowered if these reasonable and essential safety measures are followed:
- Keep emergency supplies on-hand at the pool, including a lifesaving rings with a rope, a reaching pole, or a shepherd’s crook.
- Fence in an apartment pool, including a locking entry gate that can only be opened with a key or code.
- Install an alarm at the pool’s perimeter with a deactivation box accessibly only by an adult.
- Never permit children to access an apartment pool without constant, attentive adult supervision.
- Beware of drains, making certain that they properly are covered and that no one plays at the location of any pool drain.
- Avoid alcohol when you intend to enter an apartment pool or when you will be supervising children at the pool.
Protecting Against the Spread of Infectious Disease in an Apartment Pool
In addition to protecting against apartment pool drowning, appropriate measures must be implemented to protect against the spread of infectious disease. Of course, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, tremendous media attention has been paid to controlling infectious disease. The reality is that preventing the spread of a variety of different types of infectious diseases has always been an issue when it comes to pools, including those located at apartment complexes. There are some health and safety practices that need to be followed when it come to preventing the spread of infectious disease at an apartment pool or any other pool or water feature location:
- Maintain proper chemical levels in pool water to protect against the spread of infectious disease.
- Routinely clean and sanitize pool decks, furniture, countertops, gates and handles, and other surfaces and objects at or around the pool area to protect against the spread of infectious disease.
- Do not visit the pool area when feeling ill, including but not limited to suffering from any of the symptoms thought to be associated with COVID-19.
- Do not enter the pool when afflicted with diarrhea.
- Never urinate in pool water.
- Shower before entering the pool.
- Shower after using the pool.
The Legal Duty of an Apartment Complex: Reasonable Standard of Care
If you live in an apartment, townhome, condominium, retirement, or similar type of neighborhood, you not only need to understand your own responsibilities when making use of a community pool but the legal duties of the complex itself and its management. The owner of an apartment complex community (together with any property management company) has the legal duty to make certain that the pool and pool area is maintained in a reasonably safe condition.
Examples of the types of protocols an apartment complex or building owner needs to follow include some of the items set out for your consideration a moment ago. In very basic terms, when it comes to apartment pool safety, the owner of a complex or building must take those steps to protect community residents (and others) that a similarly situated apartment complex of building owner would take in comparable situations.
Legal Rights Following an Apartment Pool Drowning or Other Aquatic Accident
If you or a loved one have been injured, including fatally, in an apartment pool drowning incident or other type of aquatic accident, The Doan Law Firm at (800) 349-0000 is available to you right now to explain your important legal rights. We can schedule an appointment for you with a skilled, tenacious apartment pool drowning lawyer. There is no charge for a consultation of case evaluation with an apartment pool drowning from our firm. In addition, we make an attorney fee promise to you: You pay nothing unless we win for you.