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Posted By Rob sharp
Whilst swimming at my local council pool last night I noticed that the 2 life gaurds on duty where both standing at the shallow end of the pool having a chat and drinking coffee for the whole time I was there.
My question is should they be standing at one end of the pool or should one be standing at either end of the pool. If I was to start drowning at the deep end how quick could they get to me, and if they run up the side of the pool couldn't they slip and then become injured as well???
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Posted By Lloyd Cole
Youre right,
My son has a friend who is a life guard at the local pool.
He sits on an elevated chair midway, while his or her colleague patrols, I was told that is part of the certification for the job.
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Posted By Stuart Hamilton
There are a number of guidance notes that outline the role of a lifeguard.
All guidance will tell you that a "lifeguard hazard" is exactly as you describe - lifeguards talking to each other at one end of the pool. This distraction will result in a reduction in supervision standards and sadly deaths occur
The line managers should be correcting this, if they don't then it becomes custom and practice. I have known lifeguards to be sacked for consistently neglecting their duties and failing to follow the normal operating procedures.
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Posted By N Smith
In a past life I used to be a Pool Manager and Lifeguard Trainer. Lifeguards talking used to be on the biggest problems we had. As for the positioning, most pools Lifeguard positions are planned to ensure that all of the allocated zone can be scanned in 10 seconds and a casualty can be reached within approximately 20 seconds.
Neil
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Posted By GeoffB4
I'm not condoning this in any way and absolutely agree with the comments. But in that case you'd think the job would be worth more than the minimum wage?
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Posted By ITK
A pool lifeguard was prosecuted in 2003 by the HSE for "failing to ensure the safety of people in the pool".
I strongly suggest you contact the management at the local pool, it may just save a life.
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Posted By Kieran J Duignan
The safety management issue is probably much less straightforward than meets the eye.
Relevant research about vigilance tasks at work indicates how fatiguing and stressful it is for many people.
Observation by a lifeguard with due concentration to satisfactory standards may be possible for many only in relatively short periods.
The solution from the standpoint of reliable safety requires analysis of the limits of concentration in order to manage the risks satisfactorily.
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Posted By Joe Ridley http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/...gland/london/6897298.stm Following the links on this story as they show how one lifeguard was nearly prosecuted...if the two were talking and drinking coffee and someone died while in the pool...Corporate Manslaughter? The pools I advise I tell them to structure pool supervision times to the minimum so that lack of concentration does not become an issue and to ensure that any conversations are strictly operational and very brief. But then management have to check that operational procedures are being followed.. Joe
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Posted By Ian
Hi, I'm a Lifeguard Trainer/Assessor, I can send you a copy of a model PSOP (pool safety operating procedures) that states the pools 'risk assessment' and what positioning is given for types of pool; every pool is different due to the physical design of it, but in a nut shell there are 3 types of zoning, and numbers of lifeguards for types of sessions (floats etc) and maximum loader capacity. If there is a static lifeguard chair, 99% of the time the risk assessment must have a lifeguard positioned there at all times, when things like pool parties, we have a secondary lifeguard patrolling the opposite side of the pool..
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Posted By Rob sharp
Many thanks for all your responses, I contacted the manager of the pool and he has assured me that this will not happen again and that staff were obviously not following the correct procedures.
Many thanks again
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