Pool Safety Alert: Hair Caught in Drain Cover
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has received reports of event, some of which resulted in death, in which people’s hair was sucked into the suction fitting drain of a spa, hot tub, or whirlpool bathtub, causing the victims’ heads to be held under water, causing drowning.
The suction from pool and spa drain outlets is very strong, indeed, strong enough to potentially cause the entrapment of hair or body parts, and drowning. Most accidents with drain outlets befell children and persons with shoulder-length or longer hair.
Hair entrapment occurs when a swimmer’s hair becomes entangled in a suction fitting drain cover as the water and hair are drawn powerfully through the drain. Children are particularly susceptible to these accidents as they may lack the strength and coordination to free themselves.
Here’s how to prevent these accidents:
Educate your children on the dangers of pool drains. Explain that the machines that circulate the water are very powerful.
There is a voluntary standard for drain covers that should help reduce hair suction. Ask your dealer about drain covers that meet this standard.
Never allow a child to play in a way that could permit the child’s hair to come near the drain cover. Always supervise children around a spa, hot tub, whirlpool bathtub, wading pool, or swimming pool.
If drain cover is missing or broken, shut down the spa until drain cover is replaced.
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