Optimizing safety in pools: 3 tips for lifeguards
Pools give families an opportunity to have fun and cool down in the process. Now that the weather’s warming up, people everywhere, including pool management, are gearing up for another great summer.
Property and pool managers are tasked with ensuring that everyone has a good time and stays safe while visiting their facility. Doing so can sometimes be challenging, especially if there are children in the area who don’t know how to swim.
1. Implement the right rules
Optimizing safety begins with setting the proper rules. These should be posted around the facility, including the walls in the bathroom and near the pool. Additionally, your lifeguard should enforce these rules and speak to parents or guardians when necessary. After all, keeping children safe is a shared responsibility.
Chances are, you already have rules at your pool, and while they may have worked well, now may be a good time to implement new ones. If you aren’t sure which rules will be suitable for your site, consider these two that have been tested in various locations across the country.
2. Life jackets: These can be paired with the colored bracelets and can be assigned according to swimming ability or age, as pointed out by Recreation Management magazine. Though children should still avoid the deep end even with life jackets, it’s also a good safety measure. Additionally, the group noted that swimming lesson attendance increased as a result of this rule, as children were eager to get out of the life jackets.
3. Ban breath-holding activities: Sticking to the shallow end doesn’t always guarantee safety. Children and adults have engaged in underwater breath-holding, which can be dangerous even when done in shallow depths. Banning this activity, sharing the information with parents and enforcing the rule will better protect swimmers.
Establishing and implementing these rules before peak season will allow lifeguards and swimming instructors to prepare for additional responsibilities.
