On March 10, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall by Anchor Industries, Inc., of Evansville, Indiana, of safety pool covers due to 20 reports of snap hook failures. No injuries have been reported, but the snap hook failures present a risk of drowning, which the pool covers are marketed to prevent.
The CPSC says that the recall involves mesh and solid Anchor 5-Star, Anchor Mesh, Classic Solid, and Defender Mesh covers sold by independent pool supply stores and dealers nationwide from September 2014 to November 2014 for about $3,000. The manufacture dates for the recalled covers, which appear on the warning label on the underside of each pool cover, are “Sep 14,” “Oct 14,” and “Nov 14.” The CPSC advises that “[c]onsumers should immediately contact their pool cover dealer to schedule an inspection and replacement of the snap hooks.”
Unlike “winter covers,” which are only designed to keep debris and algae out of the pool during months when it is not in use, “safety covers” are intended to help prevent accidental drowning by keeping children and others from falling into the pool. When the cover is defective or improperly used, it can actually add to the danger.
According to the CPSC, an average of 390 children per year age 0-14 died from drowning in pools and spas in 2011-2013, with an average of 4,900 ER treated injuries. 47% of child deaths or injuries occurred in residential pools, as opposed to 27% in public pools, with the remaining 26% in unreported locations.
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a pool drowning due to a defective product or someone’s carelessness, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.