Water can be perilous especially for families with small children, so each family with a hot tub ought to have some sort of safety policy. This article will give some fundamental hot tub safety pointers that can be adopted by families for the protection of its children and other members.
The first safety tip for hot tubs is never to leave children alone with a hot tub full of water. It is not a question of whether the child can swim or not. Children play, fight and mess about. They could fall over, bang their head, become unconscious and drown. There are a number of scenarios where this could happen and it is just better to not give bad luck an opportunity. Do not allow children in a tub on their own or even anywhere near it if it is full.
It is fairly normal to have an alcoholic drink while in the hot tub in the evening, but be wary not to become drunk. It is very dangerous to get out of control or even fall unconscious whilst you are in or around water and this goes doubly for a hot tub because they are so relaxing. The warm water, the soothing motion of the water and too much alcohol or other drugs could lead to you falling asleep and drowning.
However, it is not only whilst you are in the tub that being drunk is risky, being a bit wobbly is arguably even more perilous when you are climbing in or out of the tub because you could fall, bump your head and drown when unconscious. Never let anyone use your hot tub if they are intoxicated or stoned unless there are sober or straight individuals there as well. This rule ought to be applied to those on medication too.
Another danger, be it ever so slight is that of long hair getting sucked into the filtration and cleaning system. If a young child with long hair had its hair sucked into the drain, it could have difficulty getting back above the water line, particularly if it panicked. Another reason never to leave children unsupervised in a pool or spa.
It is a useful idea to know how to turn the spa's motor or pump off quickly, so that if there is problem with hair entanglement, you can release the child by turning the pump off quickly which should release the child.
The electricity supply to the tub will be pretty well protected, particularly if it was fitted by a professional, but is worth checking every now and again that the cables are all still shielded from water, because as we all know, water and electricity do not mix well.
Also bear this in mind if you take any mains powered apparatus like a radio, TV or computer to the spa with you too. Keep all electrical devices well away from the spa and far enough away that they will not be splashed. They can be controlled by a remote device without any danger.
The first safety tip for hot tubs is never to leave children alone with a hot tub full of water. It is not a question of whether the child can swim or not. Children play, fight and mess about. They could fall over, bang their head, become unconscious and drown. There are a number of scenarios where this could happen and it is just better to not give bad luck an opportunity. Do not allow children in a tub on their own or even anywhere near it if it is full.
It is fairly normal to have an alcoholic drink while in the hot tub in the evening, but be wary not to become drunk. It is very dangerous to get out of control or even fall unconscious whilst you are in or around water and this goes doubly for a hot tub because they are so relaxing. The warm water, the soothing motion of the water and too much alcohol or other drugs could lead to you falling asleep and drowning.
However, it is not only whilst you are in the tub that being drunk is risky, being a bit wobbly is arguably even more perilous when you are climbing in or out of the tub because you could fall, bump your head and drown when unconscious. Never let anyone use your hot tub if they are intoxicated or stoned unless there are sober or straight individuals there as well. This rule ought to be applied to those on medication too.
Another danger, be it ever so slight is that of long hair getting sucked into the filtration and cleaning system. If a young child with long hair had its hair sucked into the drain, it could have difficulty getting back above the water line, particularly if it panicked. Another reason never to leave children unsupervised in a pool or spa.
It is a useful idea to know how to turn the spa's motor or pump off quickly, so that if there is problem with hair entanglement, you can release the child by turning the pump off quickly which should release the child.
The electricity supply to the tub will be pretty well protected, particularly if it was fitted by a professional, but is worth checking every now and again that the cables are all still shielded from water, because as we all know, water and electricity do not mix well.
Also bear this in mind if you take any mains powered apparatus like a radio, TV or computer to the spa with you too. Keep all electrical devices well away from the spa and far enough away that they will not be splashed. They can be controlled by a remote device without any danger.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of topics, but is now involved with Hot Springs hot tubs. If you would like to know more, please visit our site at Hot Springs Spa Parts
