Lessons to be learned from swimming pool accident
Jan 1, 2010
A welsh holiday park operator has been found guilty of health & safety breaches following a boy suffering severe brain injuries caused by an incident in the swimming pool on the park.
This case involved an unsupervised seven year old boy, who could not swim and was not wearing buoyancy aids, accessing the deep end of a pool.
A lifeguard, one of four on duty at the time, had asked the boy to return to his father but had not checked he did so. The pool had a rule in place that an adult must supervise under eights but the child’s father was looking after another son and was unaware of the way the deep end of the pool could be accessed.
The holiday park operating is awaiting sentencing.
This terrible incident should act as a spur for all holiday park operators who provide a swimming pool for the park guests. They should review their rules and procedures regarding access to their pools and the levels of supervision provided. There should be Normal Operating Procedures in place that should prevent unauthorised access to the pool especially for unsupervised, young children. Staff should be trained in the Emergency Action Plan so that they know how to respond in the event of any kind of emergency situation.
The HSE has provided guidance Managing Health & Safety in Swimming Pools (HSG179) that should be referred to for minimum standards for safety.
