Published: November 2019

Aquatic Supervision Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations

I am a new Aquatic Supervisor / Operations Team Leader / Duty Manager. What do I need to know about the Royal Life Saving Supervision Guidelines?

Background

The RLSSA Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations clearly set out the requirements for a safe aquatic facility and are a must for managers of aquatic facilities. The GSPO also contains invaluable information for local government, facility owners, architects, engineers, duty managers and pool lifeguards.

In February 2016 the National Aquatic Industry Safety Committee endorsed a 3-year strategic review of the GSPO. This review established a more robust methodology for the review and development of guidelines and involved a series of industry consultation processes.

The Strategic Review was founded by a need to continually improve the safety of patrons when visiting any aquatic facility in the country and was done in conjunction with a range of research projects to support the review.

Who was involved?

The Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations - Aquatic Supervision section was developed as a collaborative effort with the Aquatic Industry and the following organisations:

• The Australian Council for Teachers of Swimming and Water Safety (AUSTSWIM)
• Australian Swim Coach and Teachers Association (ASCTA)
• Belgravia Leisure
• YMCA
• Brisbane City Council
• Australian Leisure Facilities Association (ALFA)
• The Club Group
• Leisure Institute of WA (LIWA)
• Life Saving Victoria
• Aquatic Recreation Institute (ARI)

Why did the guidelines need to change at the time?

A spate of fatal drowning in aquatic facilities between 2014 and 2015 reinforced the notion that safety management in swimming pools did not reflect the increasing changes in patronage, programming and facility design of the modern era.

The Aquatic Industry and communities are ever changing and so must the Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations to adapt to changes.

Review process

2016

Guidelines Open for Industry Consultation

In 2017 the Aquatic Supervision Section of the Guidelines were declared open for industry consultation from the National Aquatic Industry Safety Committee.

2016

Research

A number of research projects began to systematic review the Supervision section of the Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations. Most notably the 10 year analysis of Drowning in Public Pools

2017

Desktop Review

The National Aquatic Industry Safety Committee begin a desktop review of each of the Supervision Guidelines and prioritise them according to importance of change and size of impact to industry.

2017

Draft 1

First Draft of Supervision Section are drafted and distributed to the National Aquatic Industry Safety Committee for feedback

2017

Draft 2 open for Public Consultation

2nd Draft of Supervision Guidelines sent out for Industry Comment. Industry Feedback period extended from 3 months minimum to 8 months. All Councils, industry peak bodies and individual aquatic facilities were provided with correspondence and consultation process.

2018

Extensive Review and Workshops

The National Aquatic Industry Safety Committee review the research, each of the public comments and participate in facilitated workshops to test and debate the application of draft guidelines. 612 comments and feedback from Aquatic Facilities were reviewed in full.

August 2018

Final Draft

The Final Draft of the Supervision section is once again developed and sent to the National Aquatic Industry Safety Committee. Final Comments and changes are made with the implementation implications discussed and prepared.

November 1 2018

Supervision Section Released

New Supervision Section released on the Aquatic Industry Hub with an effective as of date of September 1 2019. All Councils, industry peak bodies and individual aquatic facilities were provided with correspondence.

2019

Industry workshops facilitated around country to assist with application of new guideline

Royal Life Saving State and Territory member organisations facilitated workshops and forums in each capital city to provide resources and support for aquatic facilities in how to interpret and implement the new guidelines.

KEY RESEARCH EVIDENCE

10 Year Analysis of Drowning in Aquatic Facilities

In 2017 New Royal Life Saving research found 78 people fatally drowned at aquatic facilities in Australia between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2015. A further 362 people had a non-fatal drowning requiring hospitalisation. The study also estimates that there was over 8100 near miss aquatic incidents which did not require persons to be hospitalised.

Drowning Deaths in Older Persons

In 2015 Royal Life Saving Society - Australia released a Drowning Deaths in Older Persons Research Report. This report encompasses a 10 year analysis of drowning deaths in people aged 50 years and over in Australia and has been produced to describe the outcomes and recommendations resulting therefrom.

Between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2012, there were 1,072 people aged 50 years and over who drowned in Australia waterways. Over the 10 financial years, males accounted for 75% of all drowning deaths in older people. The predominance of males as drowning victims was larger in the early years of the age range (50 – 59 years).

Lifeguard Scanning Research

In 2016, Royal Lifesaving and Lifesaving Victoria began literature research of over 130 national and international publications, research papers into the science of Lifeguard Scanning and drowning detection.

Coronial Recommendations

RLSSA and the National Aquatic Industry Safety Committee reviewed the coronial findings and recommendations of every public aquatic facility case in the past 15 years and mapped them to the Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations. Most of these related to the Supervision section of the Guidelines.

Key changes

Risk Based Approach

The new guidelines focus on providing guidance and how to assess aquatic risks, what to look for and how this should inform how you manage your supervision activities.

Flexibility

Not every facility is the same and not every facility requires the same level of supervision. The new guidelines provide flexibility to maintain minimum safety levels but to also make sure they are appropriate to your environment and changing conditions.

Descriptive and Explanatory

The front section of the Guidelines are more descriptive and explanatory especially when it comes to how facilities should assess risk and develop a Lifeguard Supervision Plan. They provide step by step instructions.

Stronger Guidance on Higher Drowning Risk Patrons and How to Keep Them Safe

In line with the coronial recommendations, the Supervision section has strengthened the requirements for the Supervision of those high risk groups from the literature and statistics. These being Children, Older Australians and Weak Swimmers.

Lifeguard requirements

Training, Qualifications, Health and Fitness requirements for Pool Lifeguards have been updated to meet the latest industry trends and requirements.

Management of Lifeguards

In larger facilities the management of Lifeguards is just as important as the Lifeguards themselves. The new Supervision sections provides guidance for these individuals on what skills and responsibilities they should have when managing or supervising lifeguards

Low Patronage exemption removed, shift to risk-based model

With the implementation of the Facility Specific Risk Assessment and Supervision Planning section of the new guidelines the low patronage exemption guideline has changed to a risk based model. Aquatic Facilities can decide how to implement the minimum supervision requirements in line with their risk assessment and risk appetite. Some additional guidance is given around sole-operator pools and additional risk mitigation considerations for operators.

Changes to Guidelines

(FROM 2012 VERSION TO 2018 VERSION)

Introduction

Please find below the list of the guidelines that have had changes to them within the Supervision Section and  what those changes are

Supervision of Children

With Children under the age of 10 making up the majority of fatal and non fatal drowning casualties the Guidelines have been strengthened to ensure that Aquatic Facilities are implementing strong Child Supervision Programs. The New Guideline models the work done by Keep Watch and Watch around Water requiring every facility to implement such a program.

Lifeguard Clothing

The owner or operator of an Aquatic Facility should ensure that Lifeguards wear a visible, identifiable and consistent uniform to help promote international consistency and recognition. The Guidelines now highlight the design and colour requirements for Lifeguard Uniforms in Australia, emphasising the importance of national and international consistency.

Pool Lifeguards

SU4 through to SU8 in the previous Guidelines have been updated and some sections merged into each other. These changes include

- Lifeguard Training and Qualifications requirements updated to Nationally recognised competencies

- Lifeguard Fitness and Health requirements updated to include what to do when partial or in-completion

Supervision of Diving

The Supervision of Diving Activities both recreationally and for competition has been updated with recommendations from FINA and incidents that have happened within Australia

Supervision of Persons with Disabilities

Following on from the strengthening of the Guidelines to be more inclusive in design requirements, the Supervision section has been enhanced to provide some further guidance and examples of support to persons with a disability.

NEW GUIDELINES (AS OF 2018)

List of New Guidelines

Please find below the list of the new guidelines within the Supervision Section and their purpose

Requirements for Supervision 

To provide guidance to owners or operators of aquatic facilities, if aquatic supervision should be considered as part of their risk mitigation strategies.

Planning Principles

To ensure the principles of Supervision Planning are understood by owners or operators of aquatic facilities

Determining Supervision Requirements

To ensure when the owner or operator of an aquatic facility is preparing a supervision plan, the parameters for developing the plan are defined.

Supervision Risk Assessment

To ensure supervision planning is based on sound risk management practices and objectives

Developing the Supervision System

To ensure the organisational arrangements, systems, strategies and procedures relating to the supervision of an aquatic facility are developed.

Writing Supervision Plans

To outline a general format and items that should be considered when writing a Supervision Plan.

Managing the Plan

To ensure that a Supervision Plan is a living document that is supported and managed on an ongoing basis.

Management of Lifeguards

To ensure there is a defined responsibility for the management of Lifeguard staff at an aquatic facility.

Supervision of Older Persons

To provide guidance on the supervision of older persons in unstructured activity at an aquatic facility

Supervision of Non Swimmers and Weak Swimmers

To provide guidance on the supervision of persons 10 years and over who are not confident in their swimming ability or are not competent in their personal aquatic survival skills.

Supervision of School Students in Unstructured Aquatic Activity

To provide guidance in the planning and implementation of unstructured aquatic activity at an aquatic facility.

Supervision of Persons Filming

To provide guidance into the use of cameras, video recorders and their images in aquatic facilities

How to implement the guidelines

Step 1

Understand the Foundations of Supervision Planning

Read SV1, SV2 and SV3 so that you can understand what is involved in Supervision Planning

Step 2

Conduct a Risk Assessment

Utilising the Guidance in SV4 conduct a robust risk assessment for your aquatic facility. Make sure you take a team approach and consult with your Lifeguards and Duty Managers.

Step 3

Design your Supervision System

Using SV5 and the remaining sections of the Supervision section of the Guidelines work with your staff to identify your

- Staffing structures and rosters

- New or revised procedures that need to be written

- New equipment requirements

- Any Training requirements for your staff

Step 4

Begin Writing

Redraft your Operations Manual or develop your Supervision Plan and operating procedures. If you haven't already you should be considering adding specific procedures for the new Guidelines (and updated guidelines) that have been released.

SV6 will help you with content and format

Step 5

Develop a Work Plan

Your Workplan (See SV7.3) should be developed on how you will implement your new Operations Manual or Supervision Plan. This should include dates and times for training and induction of skills and the testing of staff implementation of the new plans / procedures during in-service training.

If you haven't already, now is a good time to plan how and when you will review you Operations Manual / Supervision Plan also (SV7.7)

Summary

It is important that your Supervision Plan and Implementation of the Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations remains under continual improvement and not stuck on a shelf. If you would like any assistance please contact your State/Territory Office of Royal Life Saving who can assist you.