One of the most effective ways to prevent your child from drowning in your backyard pool is to install a pool fence. This fence will also protect your risk of liability from accidental drowning of other children or pets. To understand how much of an impact drowning plays in our lives, here are some facts gathered from studies performed by the United States.

According to the Center for Disease Control, in the United States drowning is the second major cause of death in children that are 12 and under. Other studies conducted by the government have compiled statistics showing that drowning is the number one cause for children younger than 5 years old to die from accidental deaths. Out of every 50,000 individuals one person dies from drowning within the United States.

Pool fencing is designed specifically to make the pool area safer by stopping young children from falling into the water. Even if your child falls in the shallow end they might still drown because drowning can happen in as little as 2.5 centimeters or 1 inch of water.

Swimming lessons are helpful for children’s safety but the lessons do not provide enough protection to guarantee that they will always safe near the water. It has been proven that by installing a fence around your backyard pool your family pets and young children can be safeguarded from unsupervised access.

Most homeowners can install pool fences and if necessary easily remove them.

Before you shop for a pool fence it is important to be aware of the various types of pool fences. The type of fencing that is typically available includes:

Baby Guard
Tubular steel
Aluminum tube
Glass
Wood (make sure you can’t climb it)
Removable mesh

Theses materials have several advantages and disadvantages. For example, wood looks stylish but requires repainting about every two to three years. Plastic has a tendency to come apart from splitting. Metal will endure for many years, however, it blocks the view.

Removable mesh fencing for your pool is also called:

Pool fencing
Pool barrier
Swimming pool fencing
Mesh fencing
Kiddy fencing
Child fencing
Safety fencing

Mesh pool fences are made with several sections that range in size from 6 feet to 15 feet long. They connect at the top with a latch that is child proof. Every section has several poles that are mounted with the same space between them into aluminum or plastic inserts. Special drills remove cylinder shaped material out of the pool deck or another strong surface. The strength of the meshing comes from the high tension it is made from and the tension that its installation creates as it is pulled tight from one pole to another.

A secure gate on the pool fencing is critical. Make certain the gate can latch and close by itself and can be locked with a key. The latch, lock and release mechanisms should be over 1.5 meters or minimally five feet high. Also, make certain that your release mechanism gets installed on the side facing the pool. This helps to keep it out of reach of a child younger than 12 years old.

The Nemours Foundation of Kids Health has made these suggestions on how to keep your children and other people’s children safe around your backyard pool.

- Choose fencing that is 1.5 meters (5 feet) or higher on every side of the pool’s border.

- Take all toys out of the pool after children are done swimming. This can help prevent children that are unsupervised returning later to retrieve their toys.

- Think about installing an alarm or pool cover.

- Do not consider rafts, water wings, vests or tubes as a replacement for continuous supervision by an adult. They don’t effectively protect children from drowning.

- After you are done using a wading pool take all the water out. This includes every pool ladder above ground that is not being used.

- Babysitters need to know all your rules for using the pool and wading pools.

If possible you should have your fence put in by an insured and licensed professional pool fence installer. They possess the experience and knowledge to make certain your pool has a secure and strong barrier.