June 18, 2011. Paul Hixon
Roughly seventy to eighty years ago, there were no community or backyard above ground swimming pools. Any youth that wanted to go swimming had to seek out a local creek or lake.
They then used elements of nature, if they needed a way to get down a steep embankment, and into the water.
Today, however,most pools have at least one or two above ground pool ladders. Yet in one section of the pool, those rung containing structures are not really above ground swimming pool ladders. They are the pool ladders that are designed for use in the diving end.
Today, the ladder like objects in the diving end of a pool should exhibit special safety features. They ought to have a surface that does not become slippery, as soon as it becomes wet. They might also have a angled shape, much like the shape of a step ladder.
When divers can ascend to a high dive using an angled ladder, then they can better retain their sense of balance. That way, there is less likelihood that any one diver might suddenly slip off of a ladder, while ascending to a rather high diving board.
Another thing to consider in the area of a swimming pool ladder is the nature of the surface beneath that rung equipped structure. The traditional concrete or tile surface around a pool represents a possible danger. For safety reasons, that surface should be replaced with a softer material.
When the makers and installers of above ground pools ladders take the time to introduce important safety features. then they diminish chances of a serious accident, like that one that took place at a Pennsylvania pool in the first half of the 1960′s. A young woman was making a vertical ascent to the high dive, when she fell onto the concrete surface below. While she survived that fall, she had to endure a long recovery from some very painful injuries.
Updated June 18, 2011. Published February 20, 2011. Paul Hixon
