Pool safety: How to avoid electric shock in water
A ground-fault circuit interrupter – or GFCI – is a small, inconspicuous box that should be located on the bottom right side of every swimming pool control panel.
The fast-acting circuit breaker is designed to shut off power to pool lights within 1/30th of a second should it detect that the electric current is going somewhere that it shouldn't be going, like into the water for example.
The GFCI can save lives, but too often it is out of compliance, broken or missing entirely, said Stephen Little, a licensed pool contractor and founder of Swim To Win, a non-profit focused on water safety.
On March 27, James Tramel, 43, of Burlingame, Calif., died after he received an electric shock in a Palm Springs pool. Tramel had jumped into the pool in an attempt to save his 9-year-old daughter, who was in critical condition Friday at Loma Linda University Medical Center, officials said. Five other people who were in the pool at the time also received electric shocks, four of them were treated and released from at Desert Regional Medical Center. A 10-year-old girl, who was treated and in stable condition following the incident, has since been released from Loma Linda University Medical Center, a spokesperson confirmed Friday.
Police Sgt. William Hutchinson said Monday that faulty wires may have been connected to a light but cautioned that the incident was still under investigation. Officials have not yet determined the exact cause of the accident, but Little said those in the industry suspect it may have had to do with a faulty GFCI.
On Wednesday Little conducted 60 safety inspections around the valley to see if his client's pool GFCI's were in compliance – all 60 pools failed the test. Two of the pools didn't have a ground-fault circuit interrupter at all, and Little had to cut off power to the pools entirely, he said.
"GFCI’s need maintenance, they need replacement. When this fails, if it fails in an open condition...it’s going to send power to the water instead of sending power to ground," Little said. "This device would detect the presence of electricity in the water and this device would turn off the circuit. So the most overlooked safety measure, the thing that’s the most important is do you have a functional, correct, working GFCI present on all of your pool lights?"
About 95 percent of the time, Little said pools are equipped with the automated circuit breaker, but it's the wrong kind. It's the kind that allows someone to plug an appliance into the same circuit as the pool. That means that if you plug an electronic device into the same circuit as the pool and that device falls into the pool, you could potentially electrify the water. Legally, the GFCI that is used to regulate pool lights should not have a plug attachment.
Little recommends that homeowners have their pool equipment inspected at least twice a year, and he emphasizes that they contact a licensed pool contractor or a licensed electrician to do the inspection. Often, the people who clean and service pools are not licensed to inspect or fix the electrical components of pools, but homeowners assume that they are, Little said.
"The biggest mistake: Assuming that your guy or your gal is a professional. Hold them accountable, ask to see their license, ask to see their workman’s compensation insurance, ask to see their certification by the National Swimming Pool Foundation, ask to see their contractors license," he said.
Jim Zicaro, director of building and code enforcement with the City of Palm Springs, echoed Little's sentiment saying that whenever electrical repairs are made a licensed professional should be used.
"On older pools it is possible that some of the wiring to the pool may become corroded or that the connections have weathered and become loose. It is a good idea to have an electrician or pool contractor check out the electrical systems for the pool and main electrical service to (ensure) that the system has not been compromised over time," Zicaro said over email.
Cases of people dying from electric currents in swimming pools are rare. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has reports of 14 deaths related to electrocution in swimming pools between 2003 and 2014, according to its website. But Little says it's best to err on the side of safety: If you see something that looks amiss, like water leaking into the pool light, get out of the pool and call a contractor.
"People dying or being injured by electricity in swimming pools, whether it’s one (person) or it’s 100,000, it’s 100 percent preventable and we know the cure. The cure is to have a licensed professional check it out," Little said. "I want to encourage people to swim in a safe, healthy, efficient swimming pool and it doesn’t take a whole lot to get it from wherever you are now to that safe, healthy, efficient environment."