Time for Some Facts

In March, the Commission reached a bi-partisan decision on how to reduce the risk of entrapment in public pool and hot tub drains. However, several articles have recently reported that the Commission’s vote was an "egregious” misinterpretation of the law—implying that safety took a back seat. Today, I am starting a series of blog posts to debunk the myths surrounding our decision regarding the safest, most accurate implementation of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act.

Myth #1: The CPSC’s interpretation of “unblockable drain” doesn’t provide the protection required by the law.

Facts: Unblockable drain covers are the only solution that prevents all five types of entrapment. The back-up systems mentioned in the Act only address some of the potential scenarios. For example, some of the back-up systems deal with suction body entrapment and some limb entrapments but would not prevent hair, mechanical, or evisceration entrapments. Of the 11 entrapment drowning deaths from 1999-2009, three were hair entrapments and one was an evisceration, meaning that at least 36% of these deaths would not have been avoided had a back-up system been in place.

Moreover, preventing entrapments in the first place is the best solution to the threat of entrapment drownings. Back-up systems require an entrapment incident to begin to occur before they respond, and even then they may not be able to stop it!

Conclusion: The Commission chose the safest solution that offers the most protection to the public through superior technology and more entrapment prevention.

For more information, click here for my statement.

STAY TUNED: Tomorrow's myth - “But Congress said all pools should have back-up systems.”