CPSC and ASTM Announce Stronger Standard for Above-Ground Pool Ladders on November 5: First Child-Resistance Performance Tests, With 128 Ladder-Related Child Drowning Reports From 2020 to 2025
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on November 5, alongside ASTM International, a strengthened voluntary safety standard for above-ground portable pools that establishes, for the first time, specific performance requirements and test methods for child-resistant ladders. According to the Commission, the revised standard addresses a safety gap that can allow young children to gain unsupervised access to backyard pools.
The Commission said drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages one through four in the United States, and that preventing childhood drowning has become one of its highest priorities. Its incident figures cite 128 reported fatal drowning incidents involving children under five between 2020 and 2025 in which ladders were reported or believed to have been used to enter above-ground or portable pools; in June 2026 the Commission granted a petition concerning child-resistant pool ladders. The release also recalls that in July 2025 CPSC secured the recall of approximately five million above-ground swimming pools following multiple reported child drowning deaths associated with a design flaw that allowed children to climb into pools even after the ladder was removed.
Working with industry and standards experts, CPSC helped establish the requirements drawing on incident data and research concerning young children's physical dimensions and climbing abilities, under the revised ASTM F2666 standard. The Commission notes that child-resistant equipment provides only one layer of protection against drowning and directs the public to PoolSafely.gov for drowning prevention information. The standard is a voluntary product standard, not a new federal law applying automatically to every pool.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：带梯子的地上泳池。（Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0） / Photo: An above-ground swimming pool with a ladder. (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)
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