celebratingour 2 0 thyear - The Parklander Magazine

SAFETY ISSUESIS YOURSWIMMINGPOOL MAINDRAIN ADEATH TRAP?By Ana T. LaboskyOn June 2002 a little girl named Virginia Graeme Baker, a twin sisterand the youngest of five daughters born to Nancy and James BakerIV, son of former Secretary of State James Baker III, drowned.The five girls had gone with their mother to a friend’s house to agraduation party; Virginia was swimming with her sisters in the spa.Theynoticed that Virginia was nowhere to be found. They started looking forher. The sister found her under the water with her hair trapped to themain drain of the spa. She tried to pull Virginia away but the suction ofthe spa main drain was to powerful for her to pull her out. Two menjumped in the spa, broke the drain and were able to pull her out of thesuction of the drain. Unfortunately, Virginia was submerged under thewater for too long, she was lifeless when they pulled her out. She wasrushed to the hospital but it was too late, she was dead on arrival.There is an annual average of 283 drowning deaths (2003-2005) and2,700 emergency room-treated submersion injuries (2005-2007)involving children younger than 5 in pools and spas. In addition, from1997-2007, there were 74 reported incidents associated with suctionentrapment, including nine deaths and 63 injuries. A new law is aimed atreducing deaths and injuries by making pools safer, and securing theenvironment around them.This law was passed in December 2007 by Congress, named the VirginiaGraeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. The law mandates that publicswimming pools and spas be equipped with anti-entrapment main draincovers that meet the ASME/ANSI A112.19.8-2007 performance standard(or any successor standard). In addition to the anti-entrapmentmain drain covers, any swimming pool or spa that is constructed with asingle main, other than an approved unblockable drain, must be equippedwith an additional device or system designated to prevent suction entrapment.Thedate for compliance with these regulations was Dec. 19, 2008.Even though the law states that it applies to public swimming pools andspas, as of Dec. 19, 2008, it was against federal law to make, import, or sell asuction outlet fitting and cover that does not comply with ASME/ANSIA112.19.8 -2007. Installation of a noncompliant cover in a customer’s poolor spa would be a violation of that provision. The state of Florida hasinstructed that all residential pools and spas and hot tubs should be built andmaintained in accordance with applicable state and local law andANSI/APSP-7.As swimming pool and spa business owners it is our responsibility toprevent any unnecessary harm due to swimming pool suction-relatedinjuries. Organizations such as Independent Pool and SPA ServiceProfessionals (IPSSA), Florida Pool and SPA Association (FSPA) arecommitted to constantly educating the public on swimming pool and spasafety. These organizations, along with local representatives, cometogether in the legislature and at meetings, such as National DrowningPrevention Alliance’s (NDPA) 8th Annual Symposium, to brainstormways to protect the public from unnecessary damages or deathsaround their swimming pool and spa. For more information onthese organizations visit www.ipssa.com, www.ndpa.org/events/symposium_09_summary.htmand www.fspa.com.30MAY 2010Ana T. Labosky is president of IPSSA Gold Coast Chapter.