Drowning accidents are a serious problem not only in Houston, but also in Texas, the United States, and even across the world. That is why Houston and other communities have developed written pool safety laws. The laws that we cover here are lawful here in Houston, but are probably lawful in most of our state. If you live outside Houston, check your local community ordinances to find out if you your pool safety laws might be slightly different.
The CDC Estimates
- The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there are more than 11,960 unintentional fatal drownings every year. That is more than 11 per day. Nearly 3 of these are children ages 4 and younger.
- More children ages 1 – 4 die from drowning than any other cause of death other than birth defects.
- There are nearly 8,100 non-fatal drownings per year in the U.S.. That is nearly 22 per day.
- Non-fatal drowning injuries cause many brain damage and other long-term injuries.
What is so sad is that most of these drowning accidents occur so suddenly. The accident happens and nobody saw it coming. Case in point, watch this very short video:
When an accident like this happens… unfortunately, the mother is never going to forget it… not until the day she dies!
Pool Fence Laws in Houston
Houston pools should have a fence completely surrounding the pool and it should be at least 48” high. A child should not be able to climb over the fence. That means there should not be any horizontal slats on the fence, unless those slats are on the interior of the fence. This excludes chain link fence from being used as a pool safety fence.
Gaps in the pool fence should not enable someone from passing a 4” diameter ball through the fence.
Requirements for the Pool Gate
Probably the most important part of a safety pool fence are the gates. The gate also needs to be at least 48” tall. The gate should swing out from the pool… definitely not in towards the pool. The gate should be self-closing and self-locking. Young children should not be able to reach and/or unlock the gate by themselves.
Door and Window Openings to Pool Area
Doors that lead from the house to the pool area must have a “keyless bolting device” mounted on the door that is at least 36” from the floor. If the home has French doors going to the pool area, the doors need to have a “dead-bolt” lock on the doors. Sliding glass doors going to the pool area need a bar-and-pin lock.
Windows that have access to the pool area need to be permanently sealed!
Pool That Are Above-Ground
In Houston, these pools need to be treated exactly the same as in-ground pools. Ladders going up to these pools must be inside the fence… no exceptions!
Life Saver Of Houston Can Help You
Life Saver Of Houston has been selling and installing safe pool fence systems in the Houston area for over 10 tears now. There are no competitors that have a safer pool fence system than the Life Saver pool fence. It is also removeable for those homeowners that occasionally have an adult only party next to their home pools!
If you are in the market for a really safe home pool fence system, give Wayne, the owner, a telephone call at (832) 367-2377. He would be happy to answer any questions you might have and he can give you a completely FREE quote. Or, you can email him.