How healthy is that gate on your swimming pool fence? If the latch is broken or the hinges are worn out, don't wait to replace them- especially if small children are ever near the area. If you have small children or grandchildren, don't think twice! Make sure you have a good, working gate on that pool fence! Good swimming pool gate hinges and gate latches save lives.

Here are some chilling statistics taken from the National Safety Council's website: "Children age 4 and under have a higher rate of death by drowning than any other age group. Approximately 300 kids in this age group drown in home swimming pools every year. And in 2002, nearly 2,700 kids age 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for drowning-related incidents." [NSC Home Swimming Pool Safety ] And what was their number one safety tip to keep kids safe? You should have guessed it by now: "Install barriers around your home swimming pool... The gates should be self-closing and self-latching, and no child should be able to reach the latch." 

A swimming pool can be a very dangerous place for a toddler and most experts agree that the best way to keep them safe is to have a fence around the pool. Some countries have even introduced legislation forcing swimming pool owners to act responsibly by adhering to strict safety rules (which include a secure fence). It goes without saying that the fence is only as good as the gate. Gates that don't close properly or fail to latch need attention- and not just in the summertime! Good self-closing swimming pool hinges, like our TruClose gate hinges are very important. Also, once closed, every swimming pool gate needs a good latch that is easy to operate and mounted well out of the reach of toddlers. Lokk latch and magna latch gate latches are a safe bet.

If you are unsure about the condition of your swimming pool gate, take a little time to check it out. If you find you need to replace that gate latch or the gate hinges, take a look at our swimming pool gate page.

Swimming pool hinges and latches play an important role in keeping children safe. And whether you buy your hinges and latches here or somewhere else, HardwareSource strongly encourages all swimming pool owners to help close the gate on accidental drownings.