• Introduction to Swimming Pools
  • Types, Ownership and Construction of Pools – Risk Factors – Pool Water Testing Parameters and Frequencies – Recommended Checks
• Pollution and Hygiene
  • Sources of Pollution – Cryptosporidium – Legionella – Instantaneous and Daily Bather Loads – Microbiological testing – Swimming Pool Hygiene – Dealing with Faecal, Blood, Vomit Contamination
• Swimming Pool Design and Operation
  • Overview of a Pool Plant System – Swimming Pool Design Considerations – Plant Room Tours
• Hydraulics and Circulation
  • Circulation, Flow Rate and – Turnover – How to safely stop and start circulation – Outlet Dangers
• Filtration and Coagulation
  • How filtration works – Filter Design, Construction, – Inspection and Maintenance – Filtration Rate – Backwashing – Coagulation – Regenerative media filters
• Disinfection and pH Control
  • Primary Disinfection – Free, Combined and Total Chlorine – Breakpoint Chlorination – pH – pH Buffering – Secondary Disinfection
• Pool Water Testing
  • General Guidance on Water Testing – Comparators and Photometers – Chlorine and pH Test Instructions  – Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) – Total Alkalinity Test Instructions – Calcium Hardness Test Instructions – Water Balance Test Instructions – Cyanuric Acid Test Instructions
• Chemical Dosing Operations
  • Automatic Monitoring Systems – Automatic Dosing Systems – Manual/Hand Dosing – Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) – Chemicals and Uses
• Other Types of Pool
  • Spa Pools – Hot Tubs – Hydrotherapy Pools
• Air Handling and Energy Efficiency
  • Latent Heat – Evaporation, Condensation and Relative Humidity – Other ways of energy saving
• The Management of Swimming Pools
  • Legal Responsibilities – Risk Assessment – Operating Procedures

The classroom Pool Plant Operator course is delivered over 18 hours. The online course you can complete at your own pace, but it might take longer.

• Exam – 20 multiple format questions. Learners will need to score at least 15/20 to pass. This is completed on the final day of the course on face-to-face courses or online for e-learning courses. The following assessment criteria is to be completed following the course.
• Water testing –  learners will need to send us evidence of them carrying out the full range of water tests. This can be done either by the management signing an evidence sheet to say the learner is competent or a video file sent to us with the learner completing the task.
• Schematic – learners are to sketch out a schematic diagram their pool and associated water treatment system system.
• Backwash – learners will need to send us evidence of them carrying out a full backwash procedure (including removal and cleaning of pre-pump strainers). This can be done either by the management signing an evidence sheet to say the learner is competent or a video file sent to us with the learner completing the required tasks.

Learners must be at least 18 years of age.

We recommend that ALL commercial swimming pools/spas etc. have enough staff who hold the full Pool Plant Operator Certificate to ensure that there is always a holder of this qualification on shift whenever the pool is in use. In addition, we recommend that at least one person from senior management at each facility that operates a pool should also hold the full Pool Plant Operator Certificate.

Once that level of provision has been established, duty holders should look to enhance their teams competence by ensuring that as many people who have involvement in running the pool, or supervising activities (e.g. swim teachers, lifeguards, maintenance staff etc.) hold at least the Pool Plant Foundation Certificate. This course can be delivered face-to-face or online.

We have seen a common pattern repeat itself at many facilities where far too few staff are competent to look after the swimming pool. Sometimes we find that there is only one person who has received any type of accredited training at the facility. Situations such as these mean that there is no contingency factored in to the system that would enable the facility to cope when their only qualified pool plant operator leaves. We strongly advise managers to look at their staff training arrangements in anticipation of problems like these and ensure that they have the necessary resilience built in to their staffing arrangements.

We hope this article help you to select the appropriate pool plant course for your needs, but if you need any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll do our best to help.