Nearly 1,380 private spa and pool owners in Hawai'i will be asked to complete a five-question survey about pool and spa safety.

The survey, by the state Department of Health and the Swimming Pool Association of Hawaii, comes as one child age 1 to 4 drowns in a swimming pool every year in the Islands, making drowning the fourth-ranked cause of death among children that age.

Across the country, nearly 300 children 5 and younger drown in residential or public pools each year. In 2005, 30 percent of nationwide fatalities involving children ages 1 to 4 were due to drowning, making it the second-ranked cause of unintentional injury-related deaths for children in that age group.

The state Department of Health and Swimming Pool Association of Hawaii hope to reduce the number of childhood drownings by identifying safety issues. Surveys will be mailed to pool owners who use SPAH-affiliated pool and spa maintenance and construction companies.

In 2008, the Virginia Graeme-Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act required all commercial pools and spas to bring their facilities up to code to avoid drownings and injuries due to faulty pool and spa pumps and drain covers. The act was named after a 7-year-old from Virginia who drowned in 2002. She had been dragged to the bottom of a hot tub by a drain suction so powerful that it took two men to pull the girl free.

SPAH association members plan to educate their clients of the changes in federal law and identify spas and pools that may have dangerous drains or pumps, flawed fencing and other unsafe issues. Owners will be urged to bring their pools and spas up to commercial code.

"It's so important for pool and spa owners to take a serious look at safety issues around their residential pools," state health director Chiyome Fukino said in a statement. "A few easy fixes can make your pool at home so much safer, especially for young children."