How to build a pool safety fence

It's important to build a sturdy fence around any swimming pool to prevent tragic accidents. Accidental death by drowning is the number two cause of death in and around the home for children under five, according to the U.S. Consumer Product safety Commission. This article provides you with an overview of how to build a pool safety fence.

How to

A fence built to local codes is part of the layers of protection recommended to help protect children (and pets) from accidentally falling into a pool. The other layers include locked and alarmed outside doors to the pool area, pool motion detectors and mechanical pool safety covers that completely and securely covers the pool. Precautions Observe the general requirements when constructing a swimming pool safety pool fences. The fence must be at least four feet tall. Make sure that the fence is not climbable. There should be no footholds or handholds or any areas large enough for a small child to get a foot or hand in. If the fence is slatted, the spaces between the slats can be no more than four inches apart to prevent small bodies from slipping through. Don't allow any gap at the bottom of the fence to exceed four inches above the deck or graded ground, as measured from the side of the fence away from the pool.
Security Be sure any anchors and supports holding the fence up are securely buried and concreted or firmly bolted to a deck, so that the fence cannot be lifted up or pushed over. Install gates to open outward from the pool. They must be
self-closing and self-latching. Make sure that the gate has no opening greater than one-half-inch wide within 18 inches of the latching and release mechanism. This prevents small hands from reaching inside to open the gate. Make sure that the gate is also not climbable and that there is no adjacent structure which a child could use as a platform to climb on and reach over the top of the gate. Check local codes
Check local codes for any additional or more specific requirements in your area. In this instance, tougher regulations and more stringent requirements are always better. And remember, all the precautions in the world are no substitute for constant supervision of children anywhere around a pool.

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