With the school year over and the long summer days stretching ahead, you are probably looking at how you can keep young ones entertained and enjoying time outside — and away from those screens! For those with trampolines and pools, it’s easy to allow the young ones to enjoy their fun outside, but you will want to take a few moments to make sure that you have a proper understanding of how backyard activities can impact your homeowner’s insurance…..and your child’s safety.
Swimming pools and their liabilities
One of the best summer activities is swimming, and enjoying a swimming pool as a family can be a fantastic chance to spend some quality time together! This is even more likely when you have friends and guests over.
But, please be aware that pools have some serious liability possibilities that you’ll want to be aware of so that you aren’t leaving yourself open to possible lawsuits and medical expenses!
Liability issues are those situations that can mean that you are held responsible for injuries that occur around the pool, even if they are accidents. For example, some of the most common pool-related injuries are from roughhousing in the water, diving injuries, and slips around the pool area.
How to protect your pool
If you want ot keep your pool as safe as possible to prevent these liabilities, you can focus on having strict safety rules that help reduce injuries. For example, no roughhousing in the water, no diving, and no running or jumping from the pool edge.
Trampolines and their liabilities
Trampolines are a great outdoor fun choice for those with especially high energy. From simply jumping around to doing flips, to playing games with balls, trampolines are great choices to help keep young ones and older children enjoying movement.
As with the pool, though, injuries can happen. Improper flips can lead to spinal and neck injuries. It can be very easy to jump wrong and throw yourself off the trampoline. And, toys such as balls and other tools can sometimes create obstacles that lead to broken bones while jumping.
To avoid medical expenses and lawsuits, consider limiting the trampoline to only one user at a time and also ensuring that there are no extra toys on the trampoline unless the jumpers are using them responsibly. A high netting secured to the outside of the trampoline is a great way to help keep someone from bouncing off the trampoline, too.
Summer fun can be safe!
Despite how it may seem, it is possible to have plenty of summer fun and still do it safely! These tips will support you to have a wonderful summer season with plenty of fun, but still keep safety and possible liability at the forefront of your mind. If you want to learn more, call your local insurance agent and have them explain to you what your responsibilities are as a homeowner with a pool and/or a trampoline.
Safety and summer can go hand in hand, and keeping safety a priority helps ensure everyone’s summer is a positive one. Let us know how we can help ensure that you are properly covered this summer. Contact Paula Smith Insurance at (281) 488-8880.