Pool Diving Board Safety

A diving board can be a lot of fun, but it must be used responsibly. Injuries can and often do happen when people neglect basic safety rules. In this blog post, let’s discuss pool diving board safety.

In Focus: Diving Board Safety

This isn’t the first time we’ve discussed diving safety. In fact, just recently we featured a full article about the subject. Believe it or not, pool diving board safety is a serious issue that affects far more lives than many people realize. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), diving boards and diving mishaps are the cause of a shocking amount of injuries and even deaths.

According to the CPSC, slippery ladders, decks and diving boards, lack of depth indicators, shock hazards from electrical wiring and problems of exploding filter tanks are a significant cause of drowning deaths. Today, we’ll focus specifically on diving board safety.

Lay Down Some Ground Rules

A properly installed diving board is key for water safety. Above all, it is crucial to lay down some basic guidelines for everyone in the pool area. Besides having had basic swimming lessons, every person attempting to use the diving board should follow a few general rules. As a quick shorthand, this can be summed up as “no rough-housing and no running.”

To go a bit further, here are some extra ground rules for diving board safety that can help keep people safe:

• Don’t run near the water or by the diving board. Slipping and falling is more likely than many folks realize.
• Always dive straight forward. Never dive off the side of the board. Tricks can be dangerous.
• Knowing the water depth is crucial before taking a dive.
• If using an above ground pool, always assume that diving is not safe.
• Active supervision should be used when someone is diving. Like many water-based activities, it should not be attempted when you are alone in the pool. Always dive with a buddy.

Proper Installation

Before anything else, proper diving board safety begins with proper installation. Be sure to use a licensed professional to install your board. This way, you can rest assured that your swimming area will remain up to code. Safety standards may seem like a hassle, but they can and often do save lives. It is worth taking the extra time, money and effort to install the diving board correctly, the first time.

Clearly Mark “No Diving” Zones

If your pool area was properly assessed by a professional for installation, there is likely an area of your pool that is perfect for diving. That said, there are also probably areas that are not so safe. Diving in these areas can be dangerous or even fatal. To better prepare swimmers, be sure to clearly mark the areas that will not be safe for diving.

Swimming and Diving Lessons

Finally, we touched on this earlier, but as usual: swimming lessons are important. It is critical that anyone stepping into the water learns how to stay afloat. If you will be diving, some guidance for proper diving technique will also be helpful.

These lessons can help you to stay afloat, recognize danger and even avoid potential hazards in the first place. Diving board safety requires a fair amount of personal responsibility. Being prepared can help you to prevent unnecessary injury or danger in the water.