With summer nearing, it’ll soon bring crowds looking to have fun and cool off at the pool! However, amid the fun and relaxation, the risk of slips and falls at the poolside looms...the more foot traffic...the bigger the risk. If your property has a pool, either indoor or outdoor, understanding how to prevent slips and falls at your pool this summer is crucial to ensuring a safe and enjoyable swimming experience for everyone that includes zero injuries with ensuing lawsuits attached to them!

Pool Safety in 3 Simple Steps

1. Find and monitor hazard zones - This is key in preventing accidents. Knowing your facilities weaknesses.

3. Install slip-resistant surfaces or use treatments - For Pool areas, use products such as a Porous Surface Anti-Slip Sealer, Industrial Anti-Slip Treatment, Anti-Slip Treatment for Concrete, or Anti-Slip Treatment for Porcelain Tile to create a slip-resistant pool deck immediately when an issue is discovered. Strategically place treads and treat floors with slippery-when-wet performance issues.

Why is a slippery pool area such a severe problem?

Don’t just take our word for it, look at some real-life scenarios and you’ll see the far-reaching negative impact slippery pool surfaces can cause:

• Disney Slippery Pool Resort Lawsuit – According to a recent lawsuit, a family visited Disney Resorts in Hawaii when their child slipped and fell in the pool area on the first day of their trip, leading to an emergency room trip and stitches to close a wound on the back of the child’s head.

In this scenario, there are two preventable issues.

1. The injury of the child could have been prevented – The aftermath of the injury includes physical and emotional pain. It costs substantial amounts of money for medical and legal fees.

2. The lawsuit could have been prevented - If it is true that the resort has known about slippery hazard zones in the pool area (as reported in the lawsuit), they should have acted at once by taking preventive measures like doing anti-slip treatments and effective use of tread tapes. If they did in-fact choose to not remediate known hazardous surfaces, the resort may face financial damages, hurt reputation, legal fees, raised insurance premiums, and a list of other consequences that are negative for the business and the customer who got injured.

Still not convinced this is a significant issue? Here’s another example of a slippery pool area turned hazardous:

• Toddler Suffers Brain Herniation Following Hotel Swimming Pool Fall – In this real-life example, a terrible injury occurred to a young child at a hotel swimming pool that caused brain bleeding and lasting brain damage.

In the incident investigation, it was found out the hotel had known for over a 10-year period that the pool area was unsafe. Hotel management had considered a resurfacing and traction treatment but decided to wait and avoid the expense. A sad reality for the little child who became the victim of this failure to act.

“The hotel argued that placing caution signs around the pool area provided sufficient warning that the area was slippery when wet.”

We don’t know the exact damages to the business as the case ended in a confidential settlement, but its certain the damages could have been prevented and the young child would not have experienced brain damage if the management of the hotel had acted on the knowledge of hazard zones in their pool areas.

Signage is not enough! Your Customers Deserve Protection

Don't be like the examples we have highlighted here. If you have followed the simple steps for pool safety, then follow through on them. Do not take on the liability and the risk of operating a pool with hazardous zones. The costs of ignoring pool deck traction issues far outweigh the costs of remediation. Protect your business, your customers, and yourself from devastating injuries and lawsuits.

Act Now! Prioritize Pool Deck Safety This Summer

Be proactive about pool deck safety this summer. Implement traction treatments and anti-slip surfacing wherever hazard zones are found. Conduct regular inspections and quickly address any new slippery areas before an incident occurs. Providing a completely safe, slip-resistant pool environment shows you value your patrons' wellbeing. It's the right thing to do ethically and legally.

Slips and falls can turn a fun summer day into a nightmare of injuries and litigation. However, with some straightforward precautions, you can ensure your pool runs safely all season long. Don't let your inaction ruin someone's summer - safeguard your pool today. Your patrons' safety and your peace of mind depend on it.