Pool Safety at Multifamily and HOA Properties: A Q&A with Dr. Tom Griffiths

^{Dr. Tom Griffiths, Ed.D., is the founder of the Aquatics Safety Research Group and served as Director of Aquatics at Penn State University for more than 20 years. He is a nationally recognized expert witness in pool disaster litigation and one of the most trusted voices in aquatic safety research in the United States. His work has directly influenced pool safety standards, training protocols, and facility design across the country.}

‍

‍

‍

The six questions property managers ask most — answered by one of the country's leading aquatics safety experts.

Pool safety is one of the highest-stakes responsibilities a multifamily or HOA property manager carries. One incident can result in a tragedy, a lawsuit, or both. Yet most properties are operating with outdated equipment, insufficient signage, and no real plan for after-hours monitoring.

We sat down with Dr. Tom Griffiths, founder of the Aquatics Safety Research Group and former Director of Aquatics at Penn State University for 20 years. Dr. Griffiths is one of the country's most sought-after expert witnesses in pool disaster litigation. We asked him the six questions property managers search for most when it comes to pool safety — and his answers are exactly as direct as you'd expect from someone who has spent decades on the front lines of aquatic safety research and litigation.

Q1: What pool safety equipment am I legally required to have?

Dr. Griffiths: Most states require at minimum the following rescue devices and safety features at every pool:

• Shepherd's Crook — a reaching pole with a hook to pull someone from the water
• Ring Buoy — a throwable flotation device
• Warning Signage — clearly posted rules and hazard notices
• Emergency Phone — accessible at poolside for immediate 911 contact
• Depth Markers — a minimum of four inches tall, posted at regular intervals
• Life Line — a rope and float line separating the shallow end from the deep end

One piece of equipment that may not be legally required in your jurisdiction but absolutely should be present is an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). Cardiac events at pools are more common than most operators realize, and response time is everything.

An important advancement worth knowing: both Ring Buoys and AEDs now come with automated cases — when you open the case, it automatically dials 911. That single feature can save critical minutes in an emergency.

For property managers: Check your specific state and municipality requirements, as they vary. The list above represents the baseline minimum — not the standard of care you should aspire to.

‍

Q2: What's the best pool fence and how high does it need to be?

Dr. Griffiths: Four feet is the legal minimum in most jurisdictions, but we strongly recommend five to six feet. The difference in deterrence — particularly for young children — is significant.

Here are the specifics that matter most:

• Vertical slats are strongly recommended. Stay away from chain-link fencing — it is too easy to climb and provides footholds for children.
• Self-closing, self-latching gates are required by code in virtually every jurisdiction. But here is the critical part most operators overlook: these gates must be physically checked every single day. A gate that fails to latch properly is worse than no gate at all — it creates a false sense of security.
• Material matters. Aluminum and steel will outlast wood and most vinyl options. They are sturdier and more resistant to tampering.
• No gaps greater than four inches anywhere in the fence. This is a code requirement and a genuine safety standard — a small child can fit through a gap larger than four inches.

For property managers: Gate inspections should be part of your daily opening checklist, documented and signed off. If a child drowns because a gate was found open, the first thing plaintiffs' attorneys will ask for is your maintenance log.

‍

Q3: What pool alarms actually work — and are they required?

Dr. Griffiths: This is a genuinely complicated question because the market is full of options — surface alarms, subsurface motion detectors, perimeter alarms, wristband alarms for children, gate alarms — and they all work to varying degrees.

To my knowledge, pool alarms are not universally required by law, though some states and localities may mandate specific types. The honest answer is that no single alarm type is a complete solution on its own.

My practical advice to property managers:

• For weak swimmers and young children, properly fitted life jackets are the most reliable intervention. No alarm replaces supervised swimming ability.
• Have pool alarm companies give you a live demonstration before purchasing. See exactly how sensitive the system is, how quickly it alerts, and what the false positive rate is.
• Read customer reviews carefully — particularly from properties similar to yours in size and usage.

Alarms are a valuable layer of protection, but they work best as part of a broader safety system — not as a standalone solution.

‍

Q4: How do I prevent drain entrapment?

Dr. Griffiths: This one is straightforward, and there is no excuse for getting it wrong.

Step one: Make absolutely certain you have a Virginia Graeme Baker Act (VGBA) compliant drain cover installed. This federal law was enacted after a child died of drain entrapment, and compliance is mandatory.

Step two — and this is where most operators fail: Check the expiration date stamped on the drain cover and confirm it has not been exceeded. Inspectors typically only verify that a cover is physically in place. It is your responsibility to confirm that cover is still within its rated service life. An expired drain cover is a liability and a hazard regardless of whether it looks intact.

Step three: Two drains are always better than one. If one drain becomes blocked or covered, the suction load transfers entirely to the second drain. A single drain creates a concentration of suction that can trap even a strong swimmer.

For property managers: Add drain cover expiration date verification to your seasonal opening checklist. This is one of the most overlooked — and most litigated — failures in pool safety.

‍

Q5: How do I reduce my liability if someone gets hurt at my pool?

Dr. Griffiths: The single most effective thing you can do is have someone physically check the pool area on a regular basis throughout the day. Documented, regular inspections demonstrate a standard of care that passive surveillance alone cannot establish.

On signage — and this is important — swimming pools are guilty of sign pollution. Most pool areas have too many rules posted in too small a font that nobody reads. Lengthy rule lists are legally defensive but practically useless.

What actually works is reducing your signage to the four critical warnings, posted in proper warning shapes, warning colors, and warning symbols:

1. PARENTS: CLOSELY SUPERVISE YOUR CHILDREN
2. NO DIVING
3. NO PROLONGED BREATH-HOLDING
4. WEAK SWIMMERS MUST WEAR LIFE JACKETS

These four warnings address the most common causes of pool fatalities and serious injuries. They are clear, visible, and actionable. The no-prolonged-breath-holding warning in particular is critically underused — shallow water blackout is a leading cause of drowning deaths among teenagers and young adults and remains dangerously unknown among the general public.

For property managers: Consult with a local aquatics safety professional or attorney to make sure your warning signage meets both code requirements and current best practices in your state.

‍

Q6: What's the best way to monitor a pool after hours?

Dr. Griffiths: After-hours unauthorized pool access is one of the most dangerous situations a multifamily or HOA property can face. No lifeguard, no supervision, often impaired individuals — the conditions for a fatality are all present.

For after-hours monitoring, Cloudastructure's AI-powered surveillance and remote guarding is the best solution I've seen for keeping unauthorized visitors out of pool areas overnight. What makes it particularly practical for multifamily and HOA properties is that it leverages your existing camera infrastructure — so you're not required to invest in a proprietary camera system to get enterprise-level protection.

When someone enters a restricted pool area after hours, a trained remote guard can issue a live verbal warning through the system's two-way audio — and in the vast majority of cases, that intervention alone causes the person to leave immediately. It also creates a documented record of every after-hours incident, which is invaluable if a claim is ever filed.

For any property with an unguarded pool, this is the category of technology I would prioritize first.

‍

See How Cloudastructure Protects Your Pool — After Hours and Year-Round

Dr. Griffiths recommends AI-powered remote guarding as the top priority for any unguarded pool. Cloudastructure's system works with your existing cameras, deploys live verbal warnings the moment someone enters a restricted area, and creates a documented record of every incident — all without adding headcount.

If you manage a multifamily or HOA property with a pool, see it in action for yourself.

Request a Demo →

‍