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#1 Posted : 11 June 2003 15:26:00(UTC)
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Posted By Andy Beveridge Dear All, I am hoping that someone may be able to offer guidance/advice on the potential implications of the use of 'posh' glassware and china when serving food and drink to hotel guests around a swimming pool. My first thoughts are that its a no-go, but is it? Any help gratefully received. Best regards Andy
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#2 Posted : 11 June 2003 15:57:00(UTC)
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Posted By Charles New Firstly I should say that my experience 'poolside' is limited. However HSG 179 Managing Health and Safety in Swimming Pools indicates that food and drink can be served poolside. However there should be constant poolside supervision where food and drink is available to users. The rest comes down to good old risk assessment and having procedures in place for spillages and breakages.
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#3 Posted : 11 June 2003 16:53:00(UTC)
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Posted By Merv Newman Andy, I'm not too worried about china, broken bits are fairly easy to pick up, even if they fall in the water. Clear glass would be a no-no, as you say. You could think about some of the modern hi tech ceramics, but I don't know of any source. Merv newman
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#4 Posted : 11 June 2003 16:55:00(UTC)
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Posted By Joe Ridley I have worked in pools for many years and would suggest that having glass and china on the poolside is a no go. If there was to be a breakage on the poolside, then depending on where it happened, it could disrupt the use of the pool if glass was to get into the pool. From experience broken glass in a swimming pool can take many hours (sometimes 24hrs) to remove, so you would have to consider this possibility and the effect it may have on pool usage and the costs involved in removing the glass. In our swimming glass is banned completely from the poolside and changing areas and this applies to pool parties where plastic cups and paper plates are used. But it depends on where you are having the party/evening in relation to where the pool is, it may be well away from the poolside and you feel you may be able to control the risk. Just consider all possible outcomes and what it may take to correct should it all go wrong.
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#5 Posted : 11 June 2003 17:21:00(UTC)
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Posted By Graham Bullough I share your thoughts that using glassware and china (which also produces fragments with sharp edges when broken) around a swimming pool is a no-no. It's probably not too difficult picking up/wet vacuuming pieces of glass or china from the poolside. However, if there is any suspicion that fragments have gone in the water itself, you are faced with the prospect of closing the pool and draining it (time, money, disruption and upset punters deprived of use of pool) or taking the risk that nobody will be injured by any fragments. The presence of water on the poolside will increase the chance of slips. Also relaxed people enjoying their leisure are probably less careful than usual about handling glass and china, especially if alcohol is available. Therefore, the best strategy for controlling the risk for this scenario is to eliminate it by not using glassware and china which can break and cause injury, and thus requires a protracted remedial response. I'm no expert on these matters, but surely it's possible to obtain reasonable looking items made of plastic or other non-breakable material which looks like glass, etc. for poolside use. Hopefully H & S people who work in the leisure industry will see this thread and be able to better advise on such items. To use another scenario for analogy it is now widely accepted that pubs and clubs where it is known or foreseeable that customers may become drunk and aggressive only use plastic glasses as they cannot be broken and used for assaults.
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#6 Posted : 11 June 2003 21:44:00(UTC)
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Posted By Michael Miller As a trained diver it is amazing just what you do find at the bottom of a pool when training novices. When you are on holiday abroad it makes me shudder to see all those pint glasses and bottles lying around the pool side with children running around mad unsupervised. Anyway that was just a thought on the matter. The reason I responded is that there are some really amazing ceramic products out there that look very twee indeed. Most caravan sales and accesories stores stock them. They are pricey though but you can hit them with a cricket bat and they wont break. Trust me I have some! Hope this is helpful Mike
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#7 Posted : 12 June 2003 09:23:00(UTC)
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Posted By Ken Taylor It is common to prohibit these things at poolside. There will clearly be a risk to persons both in the pool tank and poolside for which reasonably practicable controls are readily available. HSG179 also stongly recommends that pool activities for parties take place before the consumption of food and drink because of the additional risk to swimmers after eating and drinking. As mentioned above, the lost time and pool use from glass and the like in the pool tank can be considerable and subsequent associated injury would present a daunting risk of liability to the pool operator.
Martin Fieldingt  
#8 Posted : 11 July 2024 14:35:44(UTC)
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Martin Fieldingt

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thanks 2 users thanked Martin Fieldingt for this useful post.
Roundtuit on 11/07/2024(UTC), peter gotch on 13/07/2024(UTC)
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