The consequences of a small child being able to enter your pool enclosure through a gap in a fence are often tragic and can be prevented by simply taking a few easy measures.

More than half of all the children less than five years old who drowned in Australia last year died in backyard pools, often because the fence gate was not properly secured or toddlers were able to find a way through gaps that emerged as a result of wear and tear.

A special pool safety checklist has been set up by Royal Life Saving for anyone in Australia to download. 

The checklist urges people to check swimming pool gates, swimming pool fences as well as looking at issues like chemicals around pools, supervision issues, emergency preparation and other matters. The checklist can be downloaded from  www.

royallifesaving.com.au .

“Ownership of a swimming pool provides many hours of pleasure and is a great leisure time activity, but in turn carries a large burden of responsibility to maintain it in a manner fit for persons to use,” Narromine mayor Bill McAnally said.

“It is essential that children are watched at all times by a responsible adult, as many drowning incidents occur in the brief moments when parents are distracted. Never leave children alone in the pool area.”

Parents are also encouraged to introduce their children to water safety at an early age and to attend swimming classes.

Parents should also learn resuscitation in case of an emergency.