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"Spas,
Hot Tubs, and Whirlpools"
Safety Alert
(CPSC Document #5112)
U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Washington, D. C. 20207
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
helped develop standards to prevent hair entanglement and body part entrapment
in spas, hot tubs, and whirlpools. These standards should help prevent
deaths and injuries. Consumers should fix their old spas, hot tubs, and
whirlpools with new, safer drain covers. CPSC warns about these hazards:
- Drownings. The main hazard from hot tubs and
spas is the same as that from pools - drowning. Since 1980, CPSC has
reports of more than 700 deaths in spas and hot tubs. About one-third
of those were drownings to children under age five. Consumers should
keep a locked safety cover on the spa whenever it is not in use and
keep children away unless there is constant adult supervision.
- Hair Entanglement. Since 1978, CPSC has reports
of 49 incidents (including 13 deaths) in which people's hair was sucked
into the suction fitting of a spa, hot tub, or whirlpool, causing
the victim's head to be held under water Hair entanglement occurs
when a bather's hair becomes entangled in a drain cover as the water
and hair are drawn through the drain. In some incidents, children
were playing a "hold your breath the longest" game, permitting their
long hair to be sucked into the drain. CPSC helped develop a voluntary
standard for drain covers that helps reduce the risk of hair entrapment.
Consumers should be sure they have new drain covers that meet this
standard. If you are not sure, call a pool or spa professional to
check the spa. Never allow a child to play in a way that could permit
the child's hair to come near the drain cover. If a drain cover is
missing or broken, shut down the spa until the cover is replaced.
- Body Part Entrapment. CPSC knows of 18 incidents
since 1980 in which parts of the body have been entrapped by the strong
suction of the drain of pools, wading pools, spas. And hot tubs.
Of these, 10 resulted in disembowelment
and 5 other people died. CPSC helped develop a standard requiring dome-shaped
drain outlets and two outlets for each pump. This reduces the powerful
suction if one drain is blocked. Consumers with older spas should have
new drain covers installed and may want to consider getting a spa with
two drains.
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Hot Tub Temperatures.
CPSC knows of several deaths from extremely hot water (approximately
110 degrees Fahrenheit) in a spa. High temperatures can cause drowsiness
which may lead to unconsciousness, resulting in drowning. In addition,
raised body temperature can lead to heat stroke and death. In 1987,
CPSC helped develop requirements for temperature controls to make
sure that spa water temperatures never exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pregnant women and young children should not use a spa before consulting
with a physician.
CPSC recommends these safety precautions when
using a hot tub, spa, or whirlpool.
1 . Always use a locked safety cover when the
spa is not in use and keep young children away from spas or hot tubs
unless there is constant adult supervision.
2. Make sure the spa has the dual drains and
drain covers required by current safety standards.
3. Regularly have a professional
check your spa or hot tub and make sure it is in good, safe working
condition, and that drain covers are in place and not cracked or missing.
Check the drain covers yourself throughout the year.
4. Know where the cut-off switch for your
pump is so you can turn it off in an emergency.
5. Be aware that consuming alcohol while using
a spa could lead to drowning.
6. Keep the temperature of the water in the
spa at 104 degrees Fahrenheit or below
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Backyard
Pool: Always Supervise Children, Safety Commission Warns
(CPSC
Document #5097)
U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Washington, D. C. 20207
According to the U. S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission, an estimated 260 children under five years of age drown each
year in residential swimming pools and spas. The Commission estimates
that another 3,000 children under age five are treated in hospital emergency
rooms following submersion accidents each year. Some of these submersion
accidents result in permanent brain damage.
Nationally, drowning is the fourth leading cause
of death to children under five. In some states such as California, Florida
and Arizona, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death to children
under five.
CPSC offers the following tips for pool owners:
- Never leave a child unsupervised near
a pool.
- Instruct babysitters about potential hazards
to young children in and around swimming pools and the need for constant
supervision.
- Completely fence the pool. Install self-closing
and self-latching gates. Position latches out of reach of young children.
Keep all doors and windows leading to the pool area secure to prevent
small children from getting to the pool. Effective barriers and locks
are necessary preventive measures, but there is no substitute for
supervision.
- Do not consider young children "drown proof'
because they have had swimming lessons; young children should always
be watched carefully while swimming. Do
not use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.
- Never use a pool with its pool cover partially
in place, since children may become entrapped under it. Remove the
cover completely.
- Place tables and chairs well away from the
pool fence to prevent children from climbing into the pool area.
- Keep toys away from the pool area because
a young child playing with the toys could accidentally fall in the
water.
- Remove steps to above-ground pools when not
in use.
- Have a telephone at pool side to avoid having
to leave children unattended in or near the pool to answer a telephone
elsewhere. Keep emergency numbers at the pool side telephone.
- Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
- Keep rescue equipment by the pool.
PARENTS AND GUARDIANS: ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT
A DROWNING. WATCH YOUR CHILD CLOSELY AT ALL TIMES. MAKE SURE DOORS LEADING
TO THE POOL AREA ARE CLOSED AND LOCKED. YOUNG CHILDREN CAN QUICKLY SLEEP
AWAY AND INTO THE POOL.
THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CAUTIONS
DIVERS ABOUT IMPROPER DIVING PRACTICES:
A Hidden
Hazard In The Home
Infants and Toddlers Can
Drown in 5-Gallon Buckets
(CPSC Document #5006)
U. S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission
Large buckets and young children can
be a deadly combination. The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) estimates that annually about 50 infants and toddlers drown in
buckets containing liquid used for mopping floors and other household
chores. Most of the drowning victims have been between 8 and 14 months
old.
Between 1984 and 1992, over 200 young children
were reported to have drowned in buckets and 21 others were hospitalized.
More than 90 percent of the reported incidents where bucket size was noted
involved the 5-gallon size.
Of all buckets, the 5-gallon size presents the
greatest hazard to young children because of its tall, straight sides
and weight, even with just a small amount of liquid. At 14 inches high,
a 5-gallon bucket is about half the height of a young child. That combined
with the stability, makes it nearly impossible for top-heavy infants and
toddlers to free themselves when they fall into the bucket head first.
A child can drown in a small amount of water.
Children are naturally curious and easily attracted
to water. At the crawling and pulling up stages while learning to walk,
they can quickly get into trouble. CPSC believes that bucket drownings
happen when children are left momentarily unattended, crawl to a bucket.
Pull themselves up, and lean forward to reach for an object or play in
the water
Parents and care givers
who are using 5-gallon buckets for household chores arc warned not to
leave a bucket containing even a small mount of liquid unattended where
a young child may gain access to it. A child can drown in the time it
takes to answer a telephone.
WARNING
Children can fall into buckets and drown.
Keep children away from buckets with
even small amounts of liquid.
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CPSC
Warns of Drowning Hazard with Baby "Supporting Ring" Devices
Safety Alert
(CPSC Document #5084)
U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission
Washington, D.C. 20207
The Consumer Product Safety Commission
is aware of deaths and non-fatal injuries associated with baby "supporting
ring" devices. These bath rings usually contain three or four legs with
suction cups that attach to the bottom of the tub. However, the suction
cups may suddenly release allowing the bath ring and baby to tip over.
A baby may also slip between the legs of the bath ring and become trapped
under it.
Do no rely on these devices to keep baby safe in
the bath. Parents or other attendants must never leave a baby alone in
these bath support rings. Even turning
away to answer the doorbell or telephone could
result in injury or drowning of the baby.
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Prevent
Child Drownings in the Home
(CPSC Document #5013)
U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission
Washington, D.C. 20207
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
warns that young children can drown in very small amounts of water. CPSC
has reports of more than 300 children since 1973 who have drowned in bathtubs,
basins, showers, and jetted bathtubs in as little as two inches of water;
49 children who drowned in toilet bowls, usually after falling in head
first; and 30 children who drowned in diaper pails. More than 200 children
have drowned in 5-gallon buckets since 1984.
The Commission offers these safety tips to help
prevent child drownings in the home:
- Keep young children out of the bathroom unless
you are watching them closely
- Empty 5-gallon buckets after each use.
Do not leave even a few inches of liquid in the bucket because a young
child could topple into the bucket and drown. Do not allow unattended
toddlers around buckets while the buckets are in use.
- Do no rely on baby bathtub "supporting
ring" devices to keep baby safe in the tub. Never leave a baby alone
in these bath support rings. Even turning away to answer the doorbell
or telephone can result in drowning or submersion of the baby.
Drowning Hazard
- Keep small children away from buckets,
toilets and other containers of water.
- Supervise young children at all times in the
bathtub
Facts
How
to Plan For the Unexpected
Preventing Child Drownings
(CPSC Document #4359)
U. S. Consumer Product
safety Commission
Washington, DC 20207
Facts and Figures |
Barriers
| Fences and Gates | Door
Alarms
Power Safety Covers | Above Ground
Pools | Rules for Pools
In some of the nation's sun belt, drowning has
been the leading cause of accidental death in the home of children under
5 years old. The information below can help parents and care givers provide
young children with the protection they deserve.
Each year, nationwide, more than 300 children under
5 years old drown in residential swimming pools, usually a pool owned
by their family. In addition, more than 2,000 children in that age group
are treated in hospital emergency rooms for submersion injuries.
Medical costs for submersion victims during the
initial hospitalization alone can be quite high. Costs can range from
an estimated $2,000 for a victim who recovers fully to $80,000 for a victim
with severe brain damage. Some severely brain damaged victims have initial
hospital stays in excess of 120 days and expenses in excess of $150,000.
Many communities have enacted safety regulations
governing residential swimming pools - in-ground and above-ground. It's
up to parents to comply with these regulations. Apart from these laws,
parents who own pools, can take their own precautions to reduce the chances
of their youngsters accessing the family pool or spa without adult supervision.
FACTS and FIGURES
Following are just a few facts uncovered by the
U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in a comprehensive study
of drowning and submersion incidents involving children under 5 years
old in Arizona, California, and Florida.
- Seventy-five percent of the submersion victims
studied by CPSC were between I and 3 years old; 65 percent of this
group were boys. Toddlers, in particular, often do something unexpected
because their capabilities change daily.
- At the time of the incidents, most victims
were being supervised by one or both parents. Forty-six percent of
the victims were last seen in the house; 23 percent were last seen
in the yard or on the porch or patio: and 31 percent were in or around
the pool before the accident. In all, 69 percent of the children were
not expected to be at or in the pool, yet they were found in the water.
- Submersion incidents involving children usually
happen in familiar surroundings. Sixty-five percent of the incidents
happened in a pool owned by the child's family and 33 percent of the
incidents happened in a pool owned by friends or relatives.
- Pool submersions involving children happen
quickly A child can drown in the time it takes to answer a phone.
Seventy-seven percent of the victims had been missing from sight for
5 minutes or less.
- Child drowning is a silent death. There's
no splashing to alert anyone that the child is in trouble.
BARRIERS
The following barrier recommendations are the result
of identifying key parameters that typically contribute to child drowning
in backyard pools. These recommendations are the minimum steps you can
take to make your home a safe place for your child.
- Barriers are not childproof, but they provide
layers of protection for a child who strays from supervision. Barriers
give parents additional time to locate a child before the unexpected
becomes a reality.
- Barriers include a fence or wall, door alarms
for the house, and a power safety cover over the pool. Barriers also
may be used to protect children from accessing hot tubs and spas.
Use the following recommendations as a guide:
FENCES AND GATES
Install a fence or other barrier, such as a wall,
completely around the pool. If the house is part of the barrier, the
doors leading from the house to the pool should be protected with an alarm or the pool should have a power safety
cover. Alarm and cover details are below:
- The fence or other barrier should be at least
4 feet high. It should have no foot or handholds that could help a
young child to climb it.
- Vertical fence slats should be less than 4
inches apart to prevent a child from squeezing through.
Use this as a guide when the release mechanism
is located less than 54 inches from the bottom of the gate.
- If horizontal members are equal to or more
than 45 inches apart, vertical spacing shall not exceed 4 inches.
- If the fence is chain link, then no part of
the diamond-shaped opening should be larger than 1 3/4 inches.
- Fence gates should be self-closing and self-latching.
The gate should be well maintained to close and latch easily The latch
should be out of a child's reach.
- When the release mechanism of the self-latching
device is less than 54 inches from the bottom of the gate, the release
mechanism for the gate should be at least 3 inches below the top of
the gate on the side facing the pool. Placing the release mechanism
at this height prevents a young child from reaching over the top of
a gate and releasing the latch. Also, the gate and barrier should
have no opening greater than 1/2 inch within 18 inches of the latch
release mechanism. This prevents a young child from reaching through
the gate and releasing the latch.
There are a wide variety of fencing construction
materials available to compliment your house and pool surroundings.
Your local fence company or pool enclosure company can provide you with
information and assist you in making a selection.
The weak link in the strongest
and highest fence is a gate that fails to close and latch completely.
For a gate to close completely every time, it must be in proper working
order.
DOOR ALARMS
- If the house fondness one side of the barrier,
then doors leading from the house to the pool should be protected
with alarms that produce an audible sound when a door is unexpectedly
opened.
- Install an alarm that can be temporarily
turned off by an adult for a single opening of the door by using a
keypad or switch that is out of a child's reach.
- Battery and electrically powered alarms
are available. The key pad switch can be used by adults who wish to
pass through the door without setting off the alarm. It should be
placed high on all doors leading from the house to the pool. Affordable
and easily installed alarms are available. An alarm signal immediately
tells a parent that a door has been opened.
POWER SAFETY
COVERS
- Power safety covers over the pool may be used
as an alternative to door alarms. A power safety cover should meet
the requirements of the ASTM pool cover standard which addresses labeling
requirements and performance. ASTM requires that a cover withstand
the weight of two adults and a child to allow a rescue should an individual
fall onto the cover. The standard also requires quick removal of water
from the cover. A young child can drown in just inches of water.
A power safety cover is a motor powered barrier
that can be placed over the water area. Motor-driver covers easily open
and close over the pool. When the power safety cover is properly in
place over the pool, it provides a high level of safety for children
under 5 years old by inhibiting their access to the water.
ABOVE-GROUND
POOLS
- Steps and ladders leading from the ground
to the pool should be secured and locked, or removed when the pool
is not in use.
RULES FOR
POOLS
- Instruct babysitters about potential pool
hazards to young children and about the use of protective devices,
such as door alarms and latches. Emphasize the need for constant supervision.
- Never leave a child unsupervised near a pool.
During social gatherings at or near a pool, appoint a "designated
watcher" to protect young children from pool accidents. Adults may
take turns being the "watcher." When adults become preoccupied, children
are at risk.
- If a child is missing, check the pool first.
Seconds count in preventing death or disability. Go to the edge of
the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom and surface, as well as
the pool area.
- Do not allow a young child in the pool without
an adult.
- Do not consider young children to be drown-proof
because they have had swimming lessons. Children must be watched closely
while swimming.
- Do not use flotation devices as a substitute
for supervision.
- Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitations.
Babysitters and other caretakers. Such as grandparents and older siblings,
should also know CPR.
- Keep rescue equipment by the pool. Be sure
a telephone is pool side with emergency numbers posted nearby.
- Remove toys from in and around the pool when
it is not in use. Toys can attract young children to the pool.
- Never prop open the gate of a pool barrier.
NOTE:To obtain detailed barrier recommendations.
Write CPSC, Pool Barriers. Office of information and Public Affairs, Washington,
DC 20207.
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