Classify the pool or spa before applying a safety rule.

Record the facility name and address, pool or spa identifier, indoor or outdoor status, ownership, operator, permit or license information, opening status, hours, occupancy, water depth, temperature, visibility, circulation, drain and cover identifiers, barriers, gates, alarms, deck, steps, ladders, handrails, diving features, slides, lighting, rescue equipment, signs, and weather. Identify whether the site is a home, rental, apartment, homeowners association, hotel, gym, child-care setting, school, health-care facility, or municipal operation.

It may instead be a public bathing place, Tribal enterprise, federal site, or contractor-run facility.

Reconstruct the person's age, swimming ability, health, supervision, permission, purpose, expected route, location, activity, companions, alcohol or medication evidence when reliably established, entry into the water, first sign of distress, entrapment or impact, observation, rescue, resuscitation, emergency response, transport, and later condition. Entrant labels such as invitee, licensee, trespasser, guest, tenant, member, student, patient, employee, or contractor require legal and factual review. A child-access case adds barrier, foreseeability, supervision, authority, and development questions without preassigning blame.

Photograph the entire facility and approach, water clarity, depth markings, drain covers, return fittings, pump and controller displays, barriers, gate latching, signs, rescue equipment, lifeguard stations, deck, steps, ladders, rails, slides, diving features, lighting, and any damaged component. Record manufacturer, model, lot, serial, installation, certification, replacement, and maintenance identifiers without operating or disassembling equipment. Sampling, engineering inspection, destructive testing, and custody of a drain cover or controller require a safe expert protocol and notice to interested parties.

Request native surveillance, access records, attendance and waiver material, incident reports, 911 and dispatch records, lifeguard or attendant schedules, certifications, post orders, patron counts, chemical and water readings, calibration, controller downloads, pump logs, closures, inspections, permits, maintenance, repairs, complaints, prior events, health-department material, construction plans, code records, vendor contracts, product communications, recalls, weather, rescue records, and emergency medical evidence. Determine who created each entry, the measuring device, unit, time, later edits, and whether the record applies to the exact pool.

Classify the facility and jurisdiction before using Oklahoma bathing-place, health-department, or building material. Confirm adopted code, edition, amendments, occupancy, feature, construction or alteration date, and enforcement authority. The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act and federal drain-cover guidance have defined scope, not a universal residential-pool civil standard. The Model Aquatic Health Code is guidance whose adoption and legal effect require verification.

For each theory, identify who controlled the measure and its probable effect. Ask whether a functioning gate would have prevented access, a promised or required lifeguard could observe and intervene, water clarity affected detection, a drain cover was incompatible, damaged, or causally involved, or a warning communicated this entrant's risk. Medicine must address hypoxic injury, aspiration, infection, chemical exposure, trauma, prior disease, treatment, prognosis, and alternatives. Engineering and aquatic experts must stay within qualified methods.

Confirm the parcel owner, licensee or permit holder, operator, manager, lifeguard employer, vendors, installer, manufacturer, school or health-care entity, public authority, insurer, and holders of video, access, controller, inspection, and water records. For municipal, county, state, school, public-trust, Tribal, or federal sites, verify entity identity, notice, immunity, jurisdiction, records, and contractor roles before action.

Calendar video and controller retention, water-sample viability, inspection, repairs and closure, component custody, recalls, public-health or law-enforcement process, limitations, public or federal notice, Tribal procedure, contract or waiver, arbitration, workers' compensation, minority or incapacity, death, insurance, benefits, liens, preservation, and venue. Do not assume an investigation, citation, closure, repair, insurer contact, or criminal matter protects a civil deadline.