Around your pool, make your motto "Safety First"! Draw up a set of rules for pool use and discuss them with your family and pool guests:

• Do not swim alone.
• Clearly explain the depths and contours of your pool.
• Supervise children at all times, do not leave them unattended.
• No diving from the side of the pool. Dive only from the end of the diving board.
• Use pool slides in the feet-first position only.
• Do not bring glass or electric appliances into the pool area.
• No horseplay!

Diving Safety

One of the best pool safety features of all is a properly installed, quality diving board. Last year there were more than one billion dives from diving boards at residential in-ground swimming pools, and none resulted in serious accident or injury when pools met the ANSI/NSPI-5 Standard. This safety record has been ongoing for a number of years.

The presence of a diving board lets everyone know immediately that a deep water area exists, and that is where all diving should be conducted. Diving in shallow water, less than six feet deep can be dangerous. A diving board directs children and adults away from shallow areas that are unsafe for diving, keeping diving to the deep end of the pool, where diving is safe and fun.

Safe diving follows these common sense rules:

• Dive only from the end of a diving board and not from the sides.
• Know the water depth and plan your dive path.
• Always make a shallow, controlled dive, holding your head and arms up, back arched and steering with your hands.
• Don't run and dive.
• Do not dive into shallow water.
• Always make a shallow dive holding your head and arms up, and steering with your hands.
• Make sure there are no submerged obstacles or surface objects in the dive path.
• Never dive from the side of an in-ground pool.
• Never drink or use drugs and dive.

Visit this page for more swimming pool safety tips and information.