Virginia Graem Baker's family turned a tragic loss into a life-saving act of Congress in 2007.
The Virginia Graeme Baker Act
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act established national pool drain safety requirements in the wake of the tragic drowning of its namesake. Enacted by Congress and the President in December 2007, the act requires all public pools in the United States have safety drain covers meeting the ASME/ANSI A112.19.8-2007 standard, and that single-drain pools must be provided with a secondary means of preventing swimmers becoming trapped.
Pools not in compliance by Dec. 19, 2008, must close until brought into compliance. Although the Act is a federal law, enforcement under the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has been left largely to the states.
To make the new standards enforceable at the state level, amendments to the North Carolina Rules Governing Public Swimming Pools have been adopted by the Commission for Public Health. that make compliance with the ASME/ANSI A112.19.8-2007 standard mandatory for all public swimming pools in North Carolina. The amendments further require that pool owners provide documentation of compliance with three key components of the standard. Pools that fail to provide proof of compliance by May 1, 2010 will be required to close until compliance has been documented.
Meeting the Safety Standard
While the federal law seems simple, the drain safety standard is quite complex and difficult to understand. All public pools must comply fully with the standard, but North Carolina’s enforcement will focus on documentation of three key requirements in the standard:
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Drains must be covered by cover/grates that are certified as meeting the ASME/ANSI A112 .19.8-2007 standard;
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Drain Cover-Grates must be properly installed on drain sumps that meet the dimensions specified by the cover/grate manufacturer; and
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Drain cover/grates must be capable of safely handling the full flow of the pumping system with one drain completely blocked.
How Compliance is Documented
Compliance is documented through an engineering study by a pool contractor or consulting engineer, but the rules do allow pool owners capable of providing the necessary information to document compliance for their pools.