Summertime in Connecticut means time spent at the beach or in the pool. Some homeowners install pools to beat the heat and need to be aware of the responsibility they take on to ensure the safety of their guests, especially swimmers.
Data on drowning
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks annual drowning statistics in the United States. Of course, June, July and August are the months of the year with the highest percentage of drownings. More than 4,000 drownings have occurred, on average, each year for the past ten years. In Connecticut, fortunately, there were only .78 drownings per 100,000 people in 2021 (the most recent year with final data), second only to New Jersey’s rate of .77 per 100,000.
Homeowners have a duty to prevent drownings
Laws, regulations and standards regarding steps homeowners must take to prevent drownings vary from town to town. However, some common sense precautions to consider include:
- Fencing around pool areas with certain characteristics, such as height and size
- Supervision of children using the pool or near it
- Limiting the number of people in the pool at one time
- Limiting alcohol consumption on the part of swimmers
- Using safety equipment to prevent drowning deaths, such as alarms on surface of the pool water
