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Abstract

Child drownings continue to be problematic in aboveground and portable pools. Attempts to address the hazard posed by child access to aboveground pools through on-product warnings and instruction manuals have not been effective in stemming the incidence of drowning. Utilizing the safety hierarchy to implement other higher-level risk reduction methods (such as making pool ladders child-resistant) has the potential to greatly reduce this risk. Preliminary research studied child subjects to determine their ability to access a pool using various aboveground pool ladder designs, each of which contained varying levels of child resistance and active versus passive safety devices. This effort has significant implications for the incorporation of child resistance principles into the design of consumer products intended for children under supervision.

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Aboveground Swimming Pool Ladder Safety

Abstract

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