POOL FENCING

According to government statistics, drowning is the number one cause of accidental death for children under the age of 5 in California, Arizona and Florida.

Even though an association's pool may have originally been built without fencing and may be grandfathered, boards should budget for installing fencing around their pools. This will minimize the risk of accidental death and will keep insurance premiums down.

Most building codes mandate the minimum height of the fence and spacing between bars. In addition, self-closing and self-locking gates must be installed.

See additional information from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Save Kids Worldwide organization.

Updated by ADAMS KESSLER 10/30/2007