The levels of chemical pollution present in the pool water can be measured using an instrument called a ‘Total Dissolved Solids’ meter (TDS meter). This measures the electrical conductivity of the pool water. As pure water is not a conductor of electricity, the more conductive the swimming pool water is, the more it
Employers, self-employed persons, and persons in control of work premises, have legal duties under RIDDOR to report and record certain work-related accidents by the quickest means possible. Exercise The following accidents must be reported: The easiest way to report an accident, in most cases, is via the appropriate online report form at www.hse.gov.uk/riddor. The
Identifying hazards is the first step in the risk assessment process. But the task should not be left exclusively to the ‘health and safety manager’ or line manager. Identifying hazards should be something that everybody is actively encouraged to do. It should also be an ongoing process, not something that’s only done when the risk
There can sometimes be confusion about different terms incidents, accidents, near misses: ‘Accidents’ are incidents that cause harm (Figure 1, below); ‘Near misses’ are incidents that could have caused harm, but didn’t on this occasion (Figure 2, below); ‘Incidents’ then, is a collective term encompassing both of the above; ‘Undesired circumstances’ are what can usually
pH is an abbreviation of ‘power of hydrogen’ and is a critical factor in the treatment of pool water. pH is a scale of acidity to alkalinity from 0 to 14. Substances that aren’t acidic or alkaline (that is, neutral solutions) usually have a pH of 7. Acids have a pH that is
Method Statements (or, Work Instructions) These are step-by-step, documented procedures that explain how to perform tasks safety. It’s a guide or set of instructions for doing a task right, first time, every time. They are intended to be used by those people actually carrying out the work, therefore, they should be as user-friendly as
Free Chlorine If chlorine is the biocide in use at your pool (rather than bromine), there should always be enough free chlorine in the pool to minimise the risk of infection. The recommended range is 1.00 – 2.00mg/l for most types of pool. Pools using stabilised chlorine need a bit more 2.50 –
People are involved in all aspects of work. Human factors are concerned with three interrelated areas: What people are being asked to do (the job and its characteristics); Who is doing it (the individual and their competence); Where they are working (the organisation and its attributes). The job Tasks should be designed in accordance
If a pool is contaminated with faeces, the pool operator must decide quickly on an appropriate course of action in order to prevent any possible illness in users. This is particularly important with diarrhoea, which may contain the chlorine-resistant organism cryptosporidium (‘crypto’). So it is crucial to be prepared. It is also important to do everything
Deciding on Actions to Control Risk Completing the risk assessment is a means to an end, not the end itself. It’s an input, not an output. If, after conducting a risk assessment, new or improved controls are required, their selection should be determined by the principle of the hierarchy of controls, i.e. the
The most common infections spread in pools and spas are gastrointestinal (e.g. cryptosporidium and viruses) and skin rashes (bacteria mainly). Blood and vomit are unlikely to cause illness, because they are less likely to be infected than faeces and skin and pool disinfectants should kill any bugs that there are, provided disinfectant residuals and pH values
What are Hazards? Anything that may cause harm, such as chemicals, electricity, working from ladders etc. Some hazards are easy to identify (an open container of a corrosive substance), others are not easily identifiable. This can be because the harm that some hazards cause is not immediate, but occurs instead over a long period of
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