6 Tips for Hot Tub Safety
Dipping into a hot tub after a day of skiing, shoveling snow or just because, feels so good and so relaxing.
There are just a few things to keep in mind when you decide to partake in this comforting ritual.
The Home Safety Council (HSC) and Viking Spas have some recommendations to prevent such incidents including drowning, tangled hair, body entrapment as well as illness or burns from the higher-temperature water.
According to the HSC, most homeowners do not take precautions to prevent injury or drowning. A simple conversation, as a family, about rules on when and how to use the hot tub can go a long way, even if you are on vacation and have a hot tub at your disposal.
Tips for preventing injury or death include:
- Install dome-shaped anti-entrapment drain covers and make sure there are two outlets for each pump so no suction occurs if one gets blocked
- Have people with long hair pull it back with a clip or rubber band
- Encourage people to avoid the drain
- Show everyone who uses the spa where the emergency cut off switch is
- Have a professional service your spa at least once a year
- Install locking covers and even a safety gate, especially if you have very small children who could fall in and not be able to get themselves out
“In addition to discussing spa safety, families should equip their spa with protective devices that will help protect against common spa injuries,” said Tom Kneeshaw, director of sales and marketing for Viking Spas.
“New on the market are slip-resistant surfaces, an important innovation in spa safety since slips and falls account for 50 percent of spa injuries, according to the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.”
To learn more about spa safety, visit the Home Safety Council at http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/MySafeHome/msh_spas_w001.asp and Viking Spas at http://vikingspas.com/.
Now sit back, relax and enjoy the bubbly spa!
