Swimming pools whilst great fun to use also need to be treated with a great deal of caution, particularly where young children may have access to them.
First of all let us discuss basic pool safety, and the first one is obvious, never ever let young children play in or near a pool un-attended.
If you have a swimming pool in your garden and need to allow your children outside to play in the garden, either ensure it has a lockable "Walk on" cover over it at all times while un-attended, or have a suitable fence around it, with a locked gate, and ensure the fence is high enough to keep out inquisitive young children.
Secondly and this may seem most obvious but often overlooked, always ensure when anyone is in or near your pool that you have someone there that can actually swim! Not everyone can, and this safety tip is often overlooked.
Other basic safety tips are: - Do not drink excessive alcohol and swim, and if you do have a drink in or near the pool ensure that it is in a plastic cup.
Never ever take glass near a pool, if you need to have wine by the poolside then pour it into a plastic carafe.
Make sure your children know never to take glass near the pool as well.
Encourage children not run around the pool as tiles get slippery and young heads hitting concrete do not mix well! Ideally coat the area surrounding your pool in anti-slip paint.
Do not encourage people do dive into your pool or "Dive bomb" it - doing this at the shallow end of the pool can result in a life spent in a wheelchair or even death.
Always ensure you have a suitable life buoy to throw in and a hook that can reach in to any point in your pool to pull an adult or child to safety.
Do not go swimming after a heavy meal and lastly never ever swim alone if you can possibly help it.