To put an end to deaths in pools!
Pools, which attract great attention on hot summer days, attract the attention of everyone, young and old, as the most fun way to cool off with the necessary precautions. For a safe pool, precautions must be taken in many areas from lifeguarding to cleaning and electrical system arrangements.
Üsküdar University Occupational Health and Safety Department Head Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan pointed out the importance of safety measures in pools, which attract great interest in the summer months.
ONLY ARMBANDS AND BIKINIS DO NOT PROTECT
Stating that pools are a safe means of having fun and cooling off when precautions are taken, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan listed those precautions as follows:
"There is an obligation to have a lifeguard in pools deeper than 1.40 meters, but there are no lifeguards in many pools. While especially young children who do not know how to swim should enter the pool under parental supervision, it is observed that this precaution is not taken into consideration, especially because the child has a life ring or armband. It should not be forgotten that the risk of explosion or deflation of poor quality Chinese-made products, which are used by children and adults who do not know how to swim, and which cannot be life-saving tools, should not be forgotten.
POOL HYGIENE IS VERY IMPORTANT
Pool hygiene and cleanliness are of second importance. Regular disinfection of the pool with chemicals and hygiene checks every morning are necessary and essential. Pools are very suitable environments for the spread of infectious diseases. It seems to be one of the most important transmission routes. Especially children and the elderly are more affected. Therefore, in addition to daily hygiene tests, weekly and monthly tests should be carried out by accredited companies / laboratories.
THE POOL SHOULD BE RESTED FOR ONE DAY
Following the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) days when the pool is busy, it is a very good precaution to rest the pool on Monday by using a more intense chemical cleaner and not to use the pool on Monday. It is also necessary to check and clean the filters frequently."
ELECTRICITY SYSTEM IS A DANGEROUS THREAT
Emphasizing that one of the most important issues in pool safety is the electrical system and referring to the incident that resulted in the death of 5 people recently, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan said, "The electrical system is actually an invisible insidious danger. It is not possible to operate the pool without the electrical system. Because with the cleaning system, water has to be drawn and pressed to fill the pool. For this, the use of motor is intense. In addition, in-pool lighting systems are widely used to make it look beautiful at night. Poolside lighting, cooling systems such as refrigerators also use electricity intensively. As such, electrical safety becomes important. It is usually a neglected element when everything is going well. But it is a very important and dangerous element. Many people are injured and killed due to electrical hazards and risks. In particular, 220 Volts in our country and 110 Volts in some countries, which we call mains voltage, has the greatest fatal effect on the heart and can lead to events that result in the heart stopping or beating irregularly. The person caught in the electric current loses his/her life within a few seconds and sometimes suffers very serious injuries."
PAY ATTENTION TO THESE PRECAUTIONS IN THE ELECTRICITY SYSTEM
Nuri Bingöl, Lecturer at Üsküdar University Occupational Health and Safety Department, said the following about the measures to be taken regarding the electrical system:
"The electrical installation must be installed in accordance with the legislation and made by competent persons. Grounding must be done in accordance with the grounding regulation, periodic checks must be carried out regularly by authorized companies or EMO every year and it must be guaranteed to provide the same safety every year.
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI), which we call Residual Current Relay in Turkish, designed for life protection, actively used in developed countries for 30 - 40 years, and which we have been strongly emphasizing in our country for the last 5-6 years, are very important devices that should be used to protect against electrical risks. Although AFCI (Residual Current Relay) is a very good life protection device, it should be used with TN-S (Earth-Neutral-Separate) systems or at least with TN-S-C systems. Especially in the United States of America, this device, which is mandatory for use in wet floors such as bathrooms, gardens and pools, is an important measure in terms of the risk of death, as it will cut the circuit in a very short time (0.04 seconds) even if you insert the nail into the socket."
Lecturer Nuri Bingöl pointed out that in addition to these measures, insulation should be made, metal materials should not be used inside the pool and on any surface that may come into contact with water, such as scaffolding, and metals should be completely covered with electrically impermeable material to ensure insulation.
Lecturer Nuri Bingöl listed other precautions as follows:
"In addition, the obligation to use non-hazardous voltage below 50 volts (such as 24 Volts) must be strictly complied with in places with similar wet floors, including inside and on the edges of the pool. It is possible to use non-hazardous voltage with a safety transformer in works such as lighting and even welding, and it is essential to use non-hazardous voltage in this way.
One of the measures to be taken to prevent risks such as falling and drowning along with the risks of mains voltage to be used during maintenance and repair is to prevent unauthorized entry to the area. By ensuring area security, unauthorized entries should be prevented during maintenance, repair and renovation. Lines to be taken out of use regarding electricity should be locked and labeled. Thus, the power lines that should not be used in case of electricity leakage and unauthorized and/or uncontrolled off-hours entry to the area will be closed to use and the danger will be eliminated. The pool should also be covered with a tarpaulin or protective net after the pool entry period is over."