Here’s a sobering statistic: Nearly 400 children under the age of 15 drown in pools and spas every year — about one every day. Of those, 300 are under the age of 5. And 87 percent of those fatalities occur at residential pools and spas. This is according to Ellyn Pollack, campaign leader for Pool Safely, a public education campaign run by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that works to reduce child drownings and other incidents in swimming pools and spas. “Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for 1- to 4-year-olds, and every one of them is preventable,” she says. But it’s not just about knowing how to swim. Some of those incidents involve a capable swimmer who’s become entrapped by a pool drain. What’s more, there have been about 60 deaths from electrocutions and 50 serious shocks in and around swimming pools since 1990, according to the CPSC. The best way to prevent pool accidents is to implement multiple layers of protection: adult supervision, safety barriers, door and pool alarms, regular inspections, and training like swim lessons and CPR. If you own a pool or spa, or are thinking of building one, here’s what you can do to keep your kids — or your relative’s or neighbor’s kids — safe.

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