fEaturE by daVid barNSley pool safEty dEviCEs Consumers respond to new legislation in Canada and south of the border new swimming pool bylaws have heightened safety awareness for both consumers and public operators. t he recent enactment of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGBA), which covers commercial pools in the U.S., and the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act in the province of Quebec, has heightened pool safety awareness for both consumers and public pool operators across North America. Now more than ever, homeowners want to ensure their new or existing pool is as hazardfree as possible and are looking to their local pool dealer for guidance on what safety equipment to choose. The most popular choices are anti-vortex drain covers, pool safety covers and alarm systems. PreventinG suctiOn entraPMent Perhaps more than any other pool accessory, main drain covers have received the most attention in recent years. When they are missing, broken or improperly installed, they can cause serious injury or death, as there is nothing to prevent bathers’ hair, limbs or other body parts from getting trapped by the drain’s suction. New anti-entrapment drain covers, which are now mandatory in public pools under the VGBA, are designed to prevent these types of accidents and are being sought as a retrofit accessory by owners of existing residential pools, as well as new pool buyers. The VGBA stipulates: “Single unblockable covers shall be of any size and shape such that a representation of the torso of the 99 percentile adult male cannot sufficiently block it to the extent that it creates a body suction entrapment hazard. The torso is represented as a rectangle 0.45 x 0.5 m (18 x 23 in.) with corners of radius 101.6 mm (4 in.).” “More pool owners are retrofitting older drain covers with VGBA-compliant covers, thanks to greater understanding of the act,” says John Vasarhelyi, product manager for heat pumps 34 n Pool & Spa Marketing n October 2009