A hotel proprietor has a swimming pool that is not deeper than 1.5, the surface area is less than 170 m2, diving is not allowed, no additional equipment is used, and there are no abrupt depth changes, and as per HSG 179 the proprietor has conducted a risk assessment and it is not considered continuous supervision is not required.

Control measures currently in place are

No lone swimming,
The pool is locked and guests must ask at reception for the pool to be unlocked,
No unsupervised children under 15,
No alcohol or food into the pool area,
Emergency telephone,
Emergency alarm bell,
and CCTV that is not continuously monitored,
There is on duty at anytime the pool may be used trained first aiders with poolside qualifications,
There is a notice on the front door advising the pool is unsupervised.

Is there anyting else that could be suggested
Many Thanks

Mark, I may be stating the obvious but the hotel will also need to consider the risks arising from the water treatment plant and chemicals, controls to prevent overdose or leakage, infection control in the pool and changing areas, security of changing areas... etc. If there are saunas/steam rooms then these too have their own specific risks that need to be managed.

Hi Mark
This is my first time responding to public forum question but I saw the heading and thought that if I can help I would, so here goes.....

Due to recent MOD policy change, I have had to produce an audit question set for swimming pools with the HM Naval base, Plymouth. I, like you, used HSG 179 (useful document) but additionaly I used a number of MOD Joint Service Publications to form my base set of questions. It was then time to think outside of the 'box' and come up with a few that might also need to be considered. as the pools had already been built (some are Victorian), I ignored the build and design regs/ recommends. I have attached my list below:


1. Is there a written Pool Safety Operating Procedure (PSOP)? Are staff aware of its location/ contents?

• PSOP Consists of a Normal Operating Plan (NOP) and an Emergency Action Plan (EAP).

2. What safety signs are in place? Are they clear/ legible/ in a good state of repair? Are they placed in suitable positions?

• Prohibition – No Diving, No Running
• Warning signs – Depth of water, Shallow and Deep ends, General dangers
• Information signage – First aid post, Escape direction arrows, Fire exit(s)
• Notices informing bathers of potential hazards?

3. What emergency equipment is in place? What was the date of last test?

• Rescue pole (is it at least half the width of the pool)?
• Emergency pool alarm press(es) with clear written instructions displayed.
• Stretcher/ spinal board (are they in date for test)? Have lifeguards been trained in their use either individually or as a team?
• Automatic Emergency Lighting.

4. What are the known defects and what Work Orders have been submitted?

5. What was the date of last test of drowning/ fire/ plant/ air conditioning failure alarms? Are they functioning correctly?

6. What life guarding/ supervision is in place? Are they competent? Has there been a RA conducted to determine whether one is needed if not, is there adequate signage displayed to warn bathers of the hazards/ dangers?

7. Where members of the public/ private hirers ie schools, use the pool are they met and given a safety brief by staff?
Also, do they provide their own lifeguards if so, what methods are in place to ensure their competency and is this also recorded?

8. Do lifeguards have written TOR’s?

9. Are records (written or electronic) kept for all lifeguard training sessions?

10. Are lifeguards easily recognisable ie distinctive clothing (red shorts/skirt, yellow top)? Do they carry a whistle?

11. Can the lifeguard visually scan his area of responsibility within 10 seconds and be close enough to get to an incident within 20 seconds (the 10:20 system)?

12. Are lifeguards rotated frequently to maintain the high levels of vigilance and concentration required?

13. What water testing systems are in place? What is the frequency of testing?

14. Are the water treatment chemicals correctly stored with adequate natural or mechanical ventilation to the open air? Is clear and unambiguous signage displayed? Are chemicals segregated within their own storage bund?

15. Is suitable and sufficient PPE provided? Is it in a good state of repair?

• Dust masks and face protection
• Eye protection (to BS EN166:2002)
• Aprons or chemical suits
• Boots
• Gauntlets
• Respirators

16. What COSHH RA’s are in place? Are material safety data sheets held? Have staff undergone appropriate training and instruction with regard to handling/ storage of chemicals? If the disinfecting system is of the automatic dosing type, does it fail to safe?

17. What procedures are in place for the disposal of empty COSHH containers?

18. Are there suitable and sufficient method statements are in place? (filter cleaning, water chemical dosing etc)

19. What First Aid arrangements are in place? (First Aid boxes, Resuscitation kits, Automated External Defibrillation (EAD) devices). Have pool staff received First Aid/ resuscitation training, are they in date/ certificates held?

20. Is there sufficient access for emergency vehicles?

21. Are there suitable and sufficient facilities to accommodate the disabled/ those with restricted mobility (ramps, pool hoists etc)? Has this been included in the RA?

22. Are slip resistant floors and finishes clean and in a good state of repair?

23. Are drainage gullies clean and in a good state ie no sharp edges?

24. Does any glazing surrounding the pool meet the appropriate specification (BS6262: part 4 1994) ie it can withstand body/ ball impact and is reflection reducing.

25. Do all grill openings within the pool meet with BS EN:13451 ie apertures should not exceed 8mm?

26. Is there adequate heating, ventilation or air conditioning to the pool? What is the frequency of maintenance? Who does it?

27. What methods/ controls are in place to prevent unauthorised access (Pool, Plant room, Chemical Store)?

28. What is the maximum number of people that can safely use the pool at any one time (using 3m2 per person as a starting point). Is this figure documented? How is this controlled?

29. What disinfection regime is in place with regard Legionella? What was the date of last treatment?

30. What criteria is used to measure water clarity? What is the procedure should it fall below acceptable standard?

31. Do young people/ children use the pool if so, what controls are in place to prevent their potential abuse?

32. When the pool has been used for specialist equipment training ie sub-aqua, is there an inspection made of the pools finish/ condition ie damage to tiles, before bathers are readmitted? Is this recorded?

33. Is there known asbestos within the building if so, where is the location of the asbestos register? Are there suitable and sufficient signs indicating areas of asbestos?

34. What procedures are in place in the event of biological contamination of the pool ie vomit, faecal/ diarrhoeal fouling?

35. What procedures are in place for the disposal of empty chemical containers?

36. If electrical sockets are located within wet areas, do they meet with EN60309-2:1998 (formally known as BS 4343)? Have all portable items of electrical equipment been electrically/ PAT tested?

37. Is the pool edge clearly defined?

38. Is there the recommended 1.5m between parallel rows of lockers in the changing areas?

39. If pool cover is used, have operators received manual handling training to deploy/ recover cover safely? (consider wall mounted roller pool cover 2.5m above ground level)

I hope this helps?

regards

Darren Syers

Without wishing to sound pedantic Alan but Mark actually only asked for information on the risks associated with not having a lifeguard.

If he wants more info than that I'm sure he'll ask for it (and he does have the relevant HSE guide already).

In an ideal world there would always be a lifeguard but businesses need to make money and so (eg) the gym instructor may also be one of the life guards. For many hotels and private leisure clubs the pool may be empty for considerable periods and so a full time lifeguard would be an ineffective use of resources.

Signs should be pictorial and so language barriers don't come into it.

Alarms would be a preference over a phone system and so again language therefore wouldn't be a problem.

With due respect it would be impossible to put signs up in every language! If a hotel or local club has a particular prevalance of clients with another language then perhaps incororate that but you can't accommodate the langauge of all foreign guests, that would be impractical.

Don't think that would go down well in private health clubs!!! I wouldn't join if they didn't have a pool. You tend to get rushes of guests (morning, lunch and evening). And then of course so many people like to do a length and then go sit in the hot tub or sauna.

Hotels are probably the same. I'm sure many guests who swim will pick a hotel with a pool over one without. Many hotels also then use the pool as a private health club facility.

So not used all the time but if not paid for per swim (but either as a benefit of being a guest or through a membership fee) then I think they are well worth it really.

Like I said I agree with you that I would prefer lifeguards at all pools but I can see the business reasons for not doing that (when not legally required due to pool size).

Hi,

Don't forget that HSG179, under emergency arragements in section 193, states:

"Whenever the pool is in use, a member of staff will need to be designated as ‘on call’ to respond immediately to the alarm and deal with any emergency. It is essential that such staff are trained in pool rescue, CPR techniques and first aid".

Therefore the staff will need some type of formal pool rescue award, such as the STA Pool Attendant qualification.