Secure footing in the pool: anti-slip membranes

Where people slip in a pool

A standard liner is smooth: pleasant to the touch, but with water, sunscreen and the thin film of slime that forms on surfaces, it becomes slippery exactly where you put your full weight. The critical spots are:

• the built-in steps, especially the first one below the surface, where your foot lands without a clear view;
• the bench, where you sit, stand up and push off with your hands;
• the floor in front of the steps, where children stand and play;
• the moment you get in, stepping in with wet feet from the paving.

In a prefab pool, the built-in steps and the bench are covered with membrane, just like the rest of the pool. That is an advantage: with an anti-slip membrane, the grip is a property of the surface itself, not an adhesive strip that peels off or wears away over time.

What Class C means

The slip resistance of surfaces walked on barefoot in wet areas is graded into Classes A, B and C, with C being the most demanding. SOPREMAPOOL 3D and SOPREMAPOOL Feeling membranes have Class C slip resistance according to EN 13451-1 and DIN 51097.

Both SOPREMAPOOL membranes have a lacquer that resists UV radiation and chlorine, and both are hot-air welded, as we explain in reinforced PVC membrane. Whether the whole pool is lined with anti-slip membrane or only the areas you step on, and in which colour, is decided at the site survey.

Who it makes a difference for

• Young children, who run, constantly get in and out, and stand on the steps to play.
• Older people and anyone with balance problems, for whom a slip can have serious consequences.
• Guests at holiday accommodation, who don't know the pool and often get in covered in sunscreen.
• People who exercise in the water or do rehabilitation exercises, where footing must be stable.

For families, see the other measures in pool safety for children. For commercial use, where durability and safety matter even more, see pools for small hotels.

What else you need besides the surface

The membrane is part of the solution, not all of it. Also check:

• A handrail on the built-in steps, or a stainless steel ladder with wide treads; the options are in pool ladders.
• The paving outside the water: many slips happen at the edge and on the way to the shower; see paving around the pool.
• Lighting that shows the steps clearly in the evening.
• Regular brushing: body oils, sunscreen and dust slowly fill the texture and reduce grip.

In short, an anti-slip membrane does not replace supervision and rules, but it removes one of the most common causes of minor accidents.

Questions

See also