Calls to improve drowning prevention efforts for portable pools

A portable swimming pool can often be found in an Australian backyard, but new Griffith University research, conducted in partnership with UNSW Sydney, has discovered many parents and caregivers are unaware of safety requirements when it comes to portable pools, in particular legal obligations around fencing.

Professor Kyra Hamilton from Griffith’s School of Applied Psychology surveyed 214 Australian parents and caregivers who owned a portable swimming pool and had children under the age of 5 years, to better understand how they think about safety, risk perceptions, and general pool knowledge. The results are published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.

“We found that while many parents recognized the importance of supervising children and emptying the pool after use, there were significant gaps in understanding the legal and safety requirements around pool fencing,” Professor Hamilton said. “Importantly, parents also perceived portable pools as less risky than permanent pools.

“This lower perception of risk was reflected in safety behaviors, particularly the low rate of compliant fencing around portable pools.”

Portable swimming pools present a serious drowning risk to young children as they are often perceived as harmless due to their smaller size or shallow depth of water. However, children could drown in just a few centimeters of water with incidents occurring quickly and silently.

The survey examined three key safety behaviors which are widely recognized as important for preventing a child from drowning:

• Active adult supervision
• Pool fencing
• Emptying and storing pools after use

The survey found 76% of parents recognized the importance of supervision, and 89% understood the importance of emptying a pool after use; however, knowledge and compliance with fencing requirements was significantly lower as only 26% identified fencing requirements, and just 19% reported their portable pool was fenced.

“Portable pools are frequently installed temporarily and may not be surrounded by compliant safety barriers as some families may not associate them with the same safety requirements as permanent pools,” Professor Hamilton said. “The combination of easy access, inadequate barriers, and an underestimation of the associated risks can create a dangerous environment for young children, particularly those aged under 5 years.

“The findings highlight an important opportunity to strengthen drowning prevention efforts by improving parental awareness and addressing the perception that portable pools are low risk. Public health campaigns, product safety messaging, and regulatory enforcement all play a role in improving compliance with fencing requirements and other safety behaviors.”