Inflatable and Portable Pools

A new study in America has found inflatable pools can be more risky than pools that have been built.1 This is because most of these pools do not have fences and some are not able to be emptied after use due to their size. Without fences children have easy access to the water in the pool, making them at high risk of drowning.

Of the children under the age of five who drown in NSW, about 70% occur in swimming pools.2-4 No Australian data on drowning in inflatable pools is currently available however drowning in inflatable or portable pools has been increasing over the years in America (see Table 1).5,6

 

Table 1: Drowning in Inflatable or Portable Swimming Pools, America

Year Drowning Deaths
2004 9
2005 17
2006 21

 

 

 

 

Even though pool fencing is not currently supplied with inflatable or portable pools, you must still, by law, have a four sided fence around any pool that can be filled with 300mm of water or more. Please visit the pool fencing section of the website for more information on safe pool fencing and to view or order the "Kids can drown in inflatable pools too!" A2 poster. 

 

If you cannot afford to purchase a fence around an inflatable pool, The Children's Hospital at Westmead recommends you purchase a smaller inflatable pool, that can be filled with less than 300mm of water, that can be easily emptied and stored away after use.

To watch a news story on inflatable pool safety, please click on the following links: 

http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/national/watch/26971238/248154/

http://au.prime7.yahoo.com/n2/video/-/watch/27536568/do-you-know-the-laws/

   

References

  1. Shields BJ, Pollack C, and Smith GA. (2011) Pediatric submersion events in portable above-ground pools in the United States, 2011-2009. Pediatrics. 128(1):45-52.

  2. Royal Life Saving Society Australia. The 2010 New South Wales Drowning Report. Sydney: Royal Life Saving Society Australia; 2010.

  3. Royal Life Saving Society Australia. The 2009 New South Wales Drowning Report. Sydney: Royal Life Saving Society Australia; 2009.

  4. Royal Life Saving Society Australia. The 2008 New South Wales Drowning Report. Sydney: Royal Life Saving Society Australia; 2008.
  5. Miles J. Wal-Mart Sued Over Inflatable Pool Drowning. Pool and Spa News. 2009 June 23 [cited 2010 Jan 17]. Available from: URL: http://www.poolspanews.com/2009/062/062n_walmart.html
  6. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). As Pools Open for Summer, Young Children Face Drowning Risks. CPSC: Washington DC. 2006 May 17 [cited 2010 Jan 17]. Available from: URL: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06164.html