Swimming pool safety incorporates a variety of factors, from the design and the equipment you use to keep the pool area free of accidents to how your club members, guests and staff behave in and around your aquatics center. Make health and safety evaluation of your swimming facility a top priority at your club.
Design, construct and operate your swimming pool to prevent drowning, injuries and illnesses. Compliance with state and local municipal codes — fire, public health, building and electrical codes — that affect your club’s swimming pool operation serve as the basis for most liability risk control programs. All states have code requirements for swimming pool operations, and compliance is extremely important.
In addition to the safety hazards it can cause your members and guests, noncompliance with code requirements may be used in lawsuits as evidence of negligence. In addition, pools used for special purposes, such as competition swimming pools, may have to meet specific facility operation standards as part of the requirements of the competition organization.
Drowning, the worst-case scenario, is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1-4, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In an area that’s often wet, it’s also easy for people to slip and fall, possibly hitting their head or even breaking a bone on the hard pool deck. Common causes of drowning and injuries include lack of barriers, lack of supervision and alcohol use.
Consider these liability exposures when evaluating your swimming pool operations:
- Electrical systems
- Emergency equipment
- Emergency protocol when an incident occurs
- Lifeguarding
- Perimeter controls
- Pool surfaces and markings
- Signage
- Water quality
When did you last take time to evaluate the safety measures you’re taking — or perhaps need to implement — to keep your club members and staff safe around your swimming pool? There’s no time like now to assess your pool safety.
Jayson Scott has 15 years of experience as a commercial lines underwriter at The Cincinnati Insurance Company. Since 2014, he has supported Cincinnati’s growing Fitness, Sports & Recreation program, initially as the program’s dedicated specialist and now as national program director. For more information, contact Jay at jayson_scott@cinfin.com or 513.603.5885. Please visit cinfin.com/fitness-sports for more information.
