David Morrill Shares that Homeowners Should be Aware of a Hidden Danger that May be Lurking Beneath the Water in Their Existing Backyard Swimming Pool or Spa.

LOS ANGELES, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Powerful forces that are invisible to the naked eye could transform your backyard resort into an unthinkable horror. Industry awareness and legislative rules have lessened the danger for many, but everyone is not secure.

Designed to prevent the tragic and hidden hazard of drain entrapments and eviscerations in pools and spas, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act became effective on December 19, 2008. The law is named after the granddaughter of a former Secretary of State who died in a residential pool in June of 2002 as a result of being trapped underwater by the suction of a pool intake in a residential pool.  Ironically the law which bears her name only directly applies to public facilities while hundreds of thousands of residential pools still exist that may present an ongoing danger.

Since the enactment of the VGB Act there has been a lot of speculation regarding the effect of the law on residential pools and spas. Section 1405 of the VGB Act suggests that financial grants may be available to any state that "...has enacted a statute, or amended an existing statute, and provides for the enforcement of, a law that ...applies to all swimming pools in the state..."

In addition to awarding a $3.5 million contract for VGB education, the US Consumer Products Safety Commission has recently finalized the requirements for residential pools. The law is not a mandate for all pools; instead it provides grants to states that enact pool and spa safety legislation that meets the requirements set out by CPSC. According to a recent article in the leading swimming pool industry publication, Pool & Spa News, "...only Florida is ready to apply. Other states have expressed interest, but the CPSC won't specify."

As the public becomes more aware of the dangers of drain entrapment it is likely that more states, aided by federal grants, will enact laws that apply to existing residential swimming pools and meet the requirements of the VGB Act.  

Pool Resolution Consulting Inc. analyzes pool installations and gives expert advice all across the United States on swimming pool defects and injuries caused in or about the pool area. The founder and President of Pool Resolution Consulting Inc. is David G. Morrill, who has been involved in the construction of more than 50,000 swimming pools during his career in the swimming pool industry www.poolresolution.com

SOURCE Pool Resolution Consulting Inc.

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