Your primary responsibility as a pool owner is to ensure safety in and around your pool. While maintaining optimal water chemistry and clarity are surely high on the priorities list, the clear #1 priority must be to create and promote an an environment that is conducive to safe swimming as well as safe relaxation and enjoyment while poolside.
When you become a pool owner, you inherently become a supervisor of your pool; supervision is mandatory for safe enjoyment in and around the pool.
You must also devise, communicate, and enforce rules that must be followed in and around the pool.
Even with supervision and clearly defined rules for safety, potential problems still may occur. Therefore, every pool owner should also own pool safety equipment. While this safety equipment may - and hopefully will - sit idle in poolside storage each season, if it were ever needed, it would be the most important pool equipment you own.
Every pool owner should also have a poolside first-aid kit onsite that is well-stocked each pool season.
Additionally, every pool owner should be trained in CPR as well as what to do when emergency responders are needed.
The biggest detriment to safety is panic; you must remain calm in a time of potential disaster or crisis.
If it is in the budget, an automatic pool cover will certainly promote pool safety. As a plus, there are other significant benefits of owning an automatic pool cover, primarily with all the ways you can save money. An automatic pool cover is worth every dollar. An automatic pool cover is not a mere purchase...it is an investment.
There are so many simple ways to promote safety in and around your pool, which is your ultimate responsibility as a pool owner.
You can read the Pool Manual for additional information about pool safety.
Safety first.