FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ASTM Pool Alarm Specification Raises Safety Requirements
(The American Society for Testing and Materials)
W.
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., 11 July 2001 - Approved May 31, 2001 PS 128-01,
Provisional Specification for Pool Alarms, was developed by
ASTM to present safety and performance requirements for increased
reliability of these devices. Alarms meeting the ASTM standard sound at
poolside and in adjacent buildings when a minimum weight of 18 lbs hits
the water. Acting on the May 2000 report that 350 pool drownings occur
each year to children under 5, the US Consumer Safety Commission (CPSC)
requested that a safety specification be developed by alarm manufacturers,
testing, and safety specialist in ASTM Subcommittee F15.49 on Pool Alarms
Swimming Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs.
"This
was a group effort from a committee of very informed members," said
Merle I. Stoner, subcommittee chairman, and president of Poolguard/PBM
Industries, Inc., North Vernon, IN, who has been producing pool alarms
for 20 years. "The standard raises the safety requirements for pool
alarms and their manufacturing," he affirmed. "The only way to make
pools safer is to have products that meet safety standards such as ASTM,
and develop consumer awareness and confidence in these products."
In
the May 2000 report, the CPSC noted that pool alarms are not substitutes
for guarding children at poolside.
The
Standard Specification for Pool Alarms became an International Permanent
Standard in 2002. Designation Number is F2208-02.
ASTM
standards are available from Consumer Service web site: www.astm.org,
telephone: 610-832-9585; or e-mail service@astm.org.
Established
in 1898, ASTM is one of the largest standards development and delivery
systems in the world. ASTM standards are accepted and used in research
and development, product testing, quality systems, and commercial transactions
around the globe.
Poolguard/PBM
Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 658
North Vernon, IN 47265
1-800-242-7163
www.poolguard.com
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