Avoid accidents this summer – here’s the best way to make your pool anti-slip

The swimming pool is an icon in the Australian backyard, particularly in tropical cities like Brisbane, and plenty of us enjoy the chance to cool off, have some watery fun, and socialise around our backyard pool. After all, in our warm and sunny climate, it’s the perfect way to make the heat and humidity of summer much more tolerable. 

But it’s not all sunshine and roses when it comes to swimming pools – they can also be the cause of some unpleasant accidents too. If you’ve ever slipped over on a wet pool deck and sustained an injury, you know what I’m talking about – and it’s not a pleasant experience. 

Slips and trips are common causes of injuries, both mild and severe, and are caused when a person’s foot loses traction with the ground surface. Slips and falls can result in strains, sprains, other soft tissue injuries, as well as back and spinal disc injuries. And wet and slippery surfaces are one of the most common causes of a fall – and obviously, these are found regularly around any pool that’s in use. Because let’s face it, you can’t use a pool without generating a whole lot of water around it, and this is where the problem lies.

Wet pool surrounds can be a hazard, and it’s one we want to avoid. And one of the easiest ways to do so is to choose what you put around the pool carefully. While you can’t eliminate the risk of a slip, trip or fall totally, you can certainly minimise it significantly with your choice of pool surround flooring material.

What materials are problematic?

Traditional pool surround materials are one of the biggest causes of accidents around pools, because they’re simply not designed to maintain strong traction. Sure, they look great, wear well and provide a great surface for furniture and outdoor entertaining – but when it comes to safety, they don’t hold up so well. Here are some of the common culprits.

• Concrete can be slippery when it gets wet or worn. As well, concrete needs to be sealed to prevent absorption of liquids, and the use of sealant can increase the slipperiness of the surface.
• Ceramic or porcelain tiles have low water absorption qualities, and thus become very slippery in wet conditions.
• Concrete tiles are less slippery than poured concrete, but still have the potential to cause an accident. And if you do fall onto concrete tiles, you can guarantee it will hurt.
• Timber decking is a more forgiving pool surround material, and there’s no denying that it looks amazing. But a timber deck can become very slippery when wet, which can lead to accidents.
• Stone pavers without adequate drainage can become very slippery as well. Plus, stone is vulnerable to outbreaks of moss, lichen and algae, all of which increase the potential slipperiness of the surface.

What materials are better?

The statistically safest way to prevent slips and accidents in general life is to use slip-resistant floor coverings – and that’s also true when it comes to pools. Choosing anti-slip pool surrounds is hands-down the best thing you can do to prevent accidents around your pool – and isn’t that something we all want?

So, if the materials above aren’t great choices, what’s the best alternative? The answer is porous pool paving – an eco-friendly and durable surface solution that provides a safe, slip-resistant surface that’s perfect for your backyard pool.

So, how does porous pool paving work?

Porous paving is a permeable pavement surface that allows water to drain through and penetrate into the ground below. This significantly reduces the risk of water pooling on decks and creating a slip hazard. Pool surrounds need to be able to cope with continual splashes, puddles and sometimes waves of water coming from the pool, and a porous pavement is the ideal draining surface to prevent puddles from forming. It’s grippy and non-slip, while being smooth and pleasant to walk on, even if you’re barefoot.

And it’s not just humans that will benefit from slip-resistant pool surrounds – pets will also find it much easier to gain traction on anti-slip surfaces like porous paving. As well, porous paving doesn’t heat up and burn your feet in summer like so many other surfacing materials, and has a far lower maintenance cost than tiles, pavers and comparable flooring options.

So, there’s no need to get upset when the kids are cannonballing into the pool, or having splash fights or swimming races, or when the dog decides to jump in and then shake himself all over the pool deck. It’s not a problem when you have an anti-slip porous pool surround that can cope with any amount of water that makes its way out of the pool. You’ll always be able to enjoy a beautiful and safe space for relaxation – making for a far more enjoyable and less painful experience around the poolside.

Safe pools are achievable

Make your pool safer and more user friendly by choosing a slip-resistant pool surround that also looks good, wears well, lasts a long time and is good for the environment. For the best in anti-slip pool paving, you really can’t go past a porous pavement. Find a high-quality porous paving solution for your backyard pool right here.