By Mike Terry, as published in the Collinsville Herald .

One of the most tragic things surrounding the electrocution death of 12-year-old Caitlyn MacKenzie is that it was a very preventable accident.

Although incidents like last weekend's accident in Troy are extremely rare, they are not completely unheard of.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over the last 12 years there have been nearly 60 reported deaths and another 50 serious injuries involving electrical hazards around pools. The majority of those accidents were a direct result of faulty underwater lighting that hadn't been inspected in several years or from the use of things like pumps and vacuums that were not grounded.

"The best protection for families is inspection, detection and correction," said CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton.

Thankfully, most public and municipal pools already have strict state regulations and precautions they are required to follow in order to eliminate electrical hazards.

But with the ever-growing number of people who now own their own pools, hot tubs and spas, organizations such as the CPSC and the American Red Cross are pushing even harder to stress the importance of home safety around the water.

One of the most effective preventative measures a person can take around their home pools is to upgrade their lights, receptacles and switches with ground fault circuit interrupters, better known as GCFIs. This is especially important with older pools, which have the greatest risk of wiring being worn out from age.

Specifically intended to prevent shocks and relatively inexpensive, GCFIs monitor the current going through an outlet. If it happens to catch even a slight imbalance, it will immediately trip the circuit and cut the electricity.

Of course, individuals can also greatly decrease their chance of an electrocution accident by simply keeping electrical wiring and devices away from the water area.

CPSC recommends always using battery-operated appliances around the pool, while keeping wires and junction boxes at least five feet from the water. Electric receptacles should be at least 20 feet away.

When it comes time for an inspection or upgrade, owners should always call a qualified electrician. Swimmers should also refrain from being in the water before, during or after thunderstorms.

If an accident does happen, those in the pool area should know where to find and be able to turn off the switches and circuit breakers.

If a swimmer becomes incapacitated in the water, individuals should use a fiberglass hook or other non-conductive device to pull the victim out. By jumping in the water to save them, the rescuer can receive an electrical shock as well.

According to Joyce Bathke, executive officer of health and safety services for the St. Louis Chapter of the American Red Cross, realizing that water and electricity don't mix is only one of many issues people need to be aware of when near their swimming pool.

"We have found that people are the most at risk for drowning," she said. "You can drown in your own bathtub. It is really important for both parents and children to learn how to swim."

Officials recommend that families begin getting their child in a swimming program to get them familiar and accustomed with the water as early as six months, and to start taking actual lessons at around 4 years old.

Each year, the Red Cross trains over 42,000 individuals in the St. Louis area on basic water safety tips and trains more than 90 percent of the lifeguards in the United States.

During Red Cross training sessions, the No. 1 rule is making sure there is a lifeguard on duty or a parent supervising, even if a child has a flotation device or inflatable toy.

Even when nobody is swimming, Bathke stressed that homeowners keep their pool enclosed and remove things that could draw a child's attention.

"Toys floating in the water can be a temptation for little ones," she said. "They could try to reach for something and fall in."

Additional pool safety tips are available at the Red Cross website at www.redcrossstl.org.

"People don't think it's going to happen to them," said Bathke. "The best thing they can do is know what to do and be prepared in case of an emergency."