Tragic incident highlights need for pool safety law

Earlier this month, at the Minneapolis Golf Club, a 6-year-old girl was seriously injured when the strong suction of an exposed pool drain sucked out part of her intestines. All the details of that incident aren't available, but we know that injuries and fatalities can be prevented through proper drain covers in swimming pools and spas. On existing pools, special safety drain covers can be installed; for new or renovated pools, there are safety vacuum release systems or dual drains.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating the Minneapolis incident. Unfortunately, the issue is not new to the commission. In congressional testimony last year, the CPSC said that it knew of 74 cases of body entrapment, including 13 deaths, between 1990 and 2004. The deaths were caused after the body, or a limb, was held against a drain by the suction of the circulation pump. There have also been 43 incidents of hair entanglement in pools, spas and hot tubs between 1990 and 2004, with 12 drowning deaths when the hair becoming entangled in drain grates. 

The Minneapolis tragedy may be the proof Congress needs to enact a law requiring anti-entrapment drain covers on all pools and spas. Such a measure was passed by the Senate Commerce Committee last year but died at the end of the congressional term. This year, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has already held a hearing on the bill and just after the Minneapolis incident Rep. Jim Ramstad sent a letter to his colleagues saying the horrible tragedy "shows the absolute pressing need to pass" the bill to prevent future swimming pool tragedies. And today, a bipartisan group of senators introduced similar legislation. That bill is named the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, after the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker. The young Baker died several years ago, at the age of seven, after becoming entrapped in a spa drain; it took several adults to help pry her free from the force of the drain; unfortunately, they were not in time to save her.

As Sen. Pryor said in introducing the bill: “Adult supervision is always a critical safety factor to prevent pool accidents. But when manufacturers put profit above safety, sometimes it’s not enough. ... This legislation is a simple solution to prevent major heartbreak.” 

See also:

• H.R. 1721, Pool and Spa Safety Act
• Consumers Union's testimony (PDF)
• CPSC Public Service Announcement: Toddler Drownings Happen Quickly and Silently
  Text | Audio (MP3) | Video (requires Windows Media Player) 
• Make sure your pool is child-safe this summer
• Keep kids safe around water year-round
• Pool safety bill treading water
• Inflatable pool hazards
• Three pool alarms Not Acceptable
• CPSC Publications (PDFs):
  Swimming Pool Safety Alert
  Safety Barrier Guidelines for Pools
  How to Plan for the Unexpected
  Guidelines for Entrapment Hazards: Making Pools and Spas Safer

Comments

[Jim Muise]

Does your pool have an outdated, non-conforming main drain cover? Chances are it does. Of injury-related deaths, drowning is the second leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 14 in the United States. Many children die due to pool and spa drowning and entrapment, such as Virginia Graeme Baker, who at age 7 drowned by entrapment in a residential spa.

On December 19, 2007, the President signed into law the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, named after the daughter of Nancy Baker and the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker. Virginia Graeme Baker drowned in a tragic incident in June 2002 after the suction from a spa drain entrapped her under the water. This Act was first introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL) and was supported by the Baker family and Safe Kids Worldwide.

The Act specifies that on or after December 19, 2008, all operating public swimming pools, wading pools, spas and hot tubs must meet requirements for installation of compliant drain covers.

Meeting the requirements of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Safety Act is not only critically important to any operating public pool facility but also mandatory, all by December 20, 2008.