Best strategies for proper management of lifeguards

Best strategies for proper management of lifeguards

Safety is possibly the most important aspect of managing pool services, as the health of your visitors is integral to your business’ success. Without proper standards, you could run into issues with pool management and wind up in trouble if the swimming area isn’t compliant with safety regulations.

While you may have done all the adequate checks on the physical components of your pool, the awareness and experience of your lifeguards can be critical to preserving the safety of swimmers. So how do you properly manage the staff and ensure that visitors are sufficiently supervised?

Constant supervision
Pool compliance, whether it’s for lifeguards or general maintenance, requires large amounts of time and attention. When it comes to safety, you have to consistently supervise your staff to ensure that they’re watching over the swimmers at all times, according to Mary Donahue, faculty member of DeAnza College and certified Red Cross instructor.

In turn, as the supervisor of the facility, you should also be monitoring your employees to make sure they’re not distracted.

Identify hazards
Turning a blind eye to potential safety risks can be an easy trap to fall into because pools require daily upkeep, which might be difficult to maintain. However, the American Red Cross explained that identifying and minimizing hazards is integral to the responsibilities of pool management. Not only does it bolster the safety of your swimmers, but it adds to the existing knowledge your lifeguard staff has as well.

Once identified, you can also choose to develop emergency action plans for certain situations when immediate response is needed. These can be typed up and hung around the main office so that all staff – current and newly hired – can be aware of the protocols in place.

Coordinate training
Although lifeguards have to complete the proper training requirements to be officially employed, their education shouldn’t end there. As a supervisor, you have the opportunity to continually assess their skills by running various exercises to ensure they are prepared for an emergency situation.

Management of lifeguards can be constantly improved upon, though they depend on your commitment to superior customer service. Safety should be of the utmost importance and be properly maintained by a well-trained and educated staff.