POOL SAFETY

When Safety Is The Top Priority

With accidents in and around water always a concern, pool safety remains a top priority across the industry. An enclosure or slatted cover will guarantee increased security to a pool, but there are numerous other solutions on the market that will either prevent unauthorised access or protect people once they are in the water. This issue, we look at a selection of products that feature safety as their key selling point and by doing so, are making wet leisure environments safer for all By Jon Wadeson

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afety measures in and around the UK’s swimming pools are high on the agenda for both the industry and owners because by their very nature, swimming pools hold a number of possible hazards with drowning, of course, being the most obvious one. Sadly, hundreds of people drown in the UK every year and many more suffer injury, some life-changing, through non-fatal experiences. Figures have been reducing though and thankfully, fatalities within a wet leisure setting only make up a small percentage of the overall figure. However, just one death within a pool is one too many, especially when there are so many safety options available. Also, it is worth considering that with pool ownership and usage becoming more popular in the UK due to the lack of overseas holidays last year and potentially throughout 2021 too, there’s the potential for the number of incidents to increase short term. Pools secured by a building, enclosure or raised moving floor can effectively eliminate the risks of unauthorised entry but there are

occasions when they aren’t employed or aren’t always an option. Plus what about the safety of swimmers once they have already entered the pool? Thankfully, when it comes to swimming pool safety, there are options galore. An obvious choice is a slatted cover, but putting those aside, there are many other options that have been specifically designed with safety being their top priority and in this issue, we take a closer look at a selection of them.

POOLLOCK COVERS PROVIDE SOLID SAFETY BARRIERS Due to their many years of experience designing and producing both automatic and manual covers, PoolLock is able to work with domestic customers and architects to create tailored safety solutions to cover almost any kind of pool. If an automatic system is required, the company’s unique hydraulic-drive system means that the customer does not need any electrical components near the pool. The electrical power pack used to operate the cover and drive the two hydraulic motors can

be placed as far from the pool as required. Opening and closing the pool is as easy as turning a key switch, meaning that the cover (and the pool) are much more likely to be used once installed. PoolLock safety covers provide a solid barrier between the water and surrounding area, effectively preventing any access to the water and making them some of the safest covers on the market. In addition, all PoolLock covers will reduce the amount of heat, water and chemicals lost through evaporation, which means pool owners can save money on electricity and chemical usage. In addition to the standard fabric options, PoolLock also offers HeatLock Thermofoam canvas with enhanced insulation properties. Thanks to the foamed insulation layer applied to one side of the canvas, heat transfer across the membrane is reduced by a factor of three when compared to standard fabrics for similar applications. HeatLock’s closed-cell foam structure ensure that PoolLock covers are not only the safest, but also the most energy-efficient available on the market. PoolLock Automatic Covers offer customers some of the safest, most convenient, most reliable and energy-efficient ways to cover the pool. With over 30 years of experience, and installations in over 20 countries, PoolLock is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of automatic safety and slatted covers for swimming pools.

THE DEL ULTIMA GIVES A POOL COMPLETE COVERAGE

PoolLock safety covers provide a solid barrier between the water and surrounding area, effectively preventing any access to the water

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While making a pool inviting to use is often high priority for a build, when there are children and young people around it’s also important to be able to restrict access when needed. DEL’s Ultima all-season automatic pool cover – exclusive to Golden Coast – can cover the pool at the touch of a button, not only helping to keep out external pollution, but leaving no access to the water.

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