A swimming pool can be a great feature to have for hot summer days, but they are known for their safety risks, especially for homes with young children. You can make your pool safer for everyone overall, including improving its overall surface so you will suffer fewer slips and falls and keeping children and pets out of the pool in the first place. Note a few tips on how to make your swimming pool and the surrounding deck area safer for everyone in the family.

1. Add aggregate to the surface

An aggregate is a textured substance that is added to concrete; this makes the surface of the concrete less slick. You may notice an aggregate on concrete roads, and the substance can cut down on the number of cars sliding and skidding on snow, rain, and ice. Adding aggregate to the surface of your pool and especially the surrounding deck area can reduce the number of times someone will slip and slide when the area gets wet. If you're having a new pool installed, avoid slick surfaces like slate tile and use a concrete with aggregate, or if you already have a pool, have the surface broken up and an aggregate set down to increase traction.

2. Install an alarm

There are several different types of alarms you might choose for your pool. One is a perimeter alarm, which is like an invisible fence. It sounds when someone crosses the barrier. Another alarm is connected to the pool's surface so that if something should hit the water, the alarm sounds. There are also individual alarms that children can wear on their arms that sound when they hit the water, and there are gate alarms you can attach to your pool's fence so you know if someone has opened the gate.

3. Invest in safety equipment 

Pool safety equipment can make it faster and easier to get someone out of the pool if they should fall in and can't swim their way to safety. Don't overestimate another person's ability to pull someone to safety as it's very difficult to swim to the edge of a pool while pulling someone else with you. A lifesaver with a rope can be easily tossed to someone in the pool so they can stay afloat. A shepherd's hook is a long aluminum pole with a slight bend at one end; this allows someone to stand at the pool's edge and gently pull someone to safety when they're in the water. Invest in this equipment for your pool for maximum safety.