Pool owners in West Virginia may invite friends and family to swim during the summer months. Before allowing other people to use their pool, owners should make sure that they are taking appropriate safety precautions. If someone is injured in a private pool, the pool owner could be held financially responsible under certain circumstances.

A private pool should be inspected for hazardous conditions throughout the entire year, not only during the months that it is being used. The Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests that pool owners install fences around pools with self-closing or latching gates. To prevent swimming pool injuries, ladders should be removed from above-ground pools when the pools are not being used, and pool covers should also be installed when pools are unoccupied.

People who own pools have a responsibility to keep children safe by supervising them closely when they are on the premises. Pool owners should learn to perform CPR on both children and adults in case of an emergency. While pools are being used, swimmers should have access to reaching poles and flotation devices. The CPSC also advises pool owners to take action to prevent bacterial contamination in their pools by using proper pool chemicals.

Pools can be considered a dangerous property condition under some circumstances, such as when they are left uncovered and unattended. A person who is injured as a result of an accident in those conditions may want to have the assistance of legal counsel in bringing a premises liability lawsuit seeking compensation from the owner of the property.