If you’ve made the decision to install a swimming pool at your home, the excitement certainly may be palatable. The idea of enjoyable days spent in the water and poolside is hard to beat. Despite all of the elation in planning and fun that lies ahead with a residential pool, you must keep in mind that you have significant responsibilities to address when you have a pool at your home. On that list of responsibilities is to ensure that you have appropriate insurance coverage in the event of an accident or injury associated with your swimming pool. A homeowner’s insurance company is apt to require you to take certain steps to enhance the safety of those who will use your pool. These include:
- Fence installation
- Alarm installation
- CPR training
- Safety Equipment
- Pool Rules
Fence Installation
A key requirement that a homeowner’s insurance company will require in order to provide coverage for your residential swimming pool is the installation of an appropriate fence.
An ideal fence for a residential swimming pool will have the following attributes:
- The fence must be constructed of a durable, unscalable material (so that a person cannot easily knock the protective perimeter down or climb over it).
- Ideally, a fence securing a residential swimming pool and the area around it is at least six feet tall.
- The fence should include a self-closing, self-locking gate.
The purpose behind the gate is to prevent unauthorized access to the pool. What many people who install pools overlook at their homes is restricting access to a pool directly from the residence itself. In other words, they construct a three-sided fence but allow ready and uninhibited access to the pool directly from the residence itself.
The best practice is to either build a four-sided fence, not anchoring the barrier to the residence to allow easy access from the house. If that is not done, the doorway or doorways from the residence that allow direct access to the pool must be lockable, childproof, and (as is discussed in greater detail in a moment) outfitted with an alarm.
Alarm Installation
A homeowner’s insurance company is also likely to require a comprehensive alarm installation at and around the pool and deck area. The alarm installation would need to encompass the following for optimal protection:
- Gate to pool area
- Pool fence
- Entrance to pool area from residence
- Motion sensor alarm covering pool deck
- Alarm sensor that sounds if someone enters the water (when activated)
CPR Training
A homeowner’s insurance company is also likely to inquire whether any responsible person in your residence has had CPR training. No, an insurance company is not going to demand that you install a professional lifeguard poolside. However, an insurance company can and may require that a person at the home have CPR training as a precondition to issuing insurance coverage to include the pool and surrounding area.
Safety Equipment
An insurance company is also going to want to have documentation or verification that you have appropriate safety equipment on hand near the pool. The American Red Cross can provide guidance on what specifically you will need to have available in the way of safety equipment when you install a swimming pool at your home.
Pool Rules
An insurance company will not micromanage your use of a residential swimming pool. However, an insurer may request to see written pool rules from time to time. An example of a crucial residential pool rule is that children will not be allowed access to the pool area without adult supervision.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a pool accident, The Doan Law Firm is here from you. You can schedule an initial consultation with an experienced Doan Law Firm aquatic accident lawyer any time of the day or night by calling (800) 349-0000. A nationwide law firm, we can schedule a consultation and case evaluation at any one of our 40 offices in the United States. There is no fee for an initial consultation with a Doan Law Firm aquatic accident lawyer.
The Doan Law Firm makes an attorney fee pledge to you. We will never charge an attorney fee in your case unless we win for you.
