STANDARDS & BENCHMARKING
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PoolSafePoolSafe is a New Zealand Recreation Association and Water Safety New Zealand programme incorporating a range of initiatives aimed at reducing the number of water related injuries in and around New Zealand pools. These initiatives include educational resources, public awareness campaigns and a Quality Management Scheme for public pools. Information on the individual components of the programme is available on this website. If you would like any further information regarding PoolSafe, please contact the Aquatics Project Manager, Alison Law at alison@nzrecreation.org.nz PoolSafe Achieves Record NumbersThe unseasonable weather so far this summer has not stopped swimming pools around the country from putting safety first. New Zealand public pools are taking safety seriously as is evident in the record number of facilities that now have obtained the PoolSafe® safety endorsement. Read the media release here. Supervision of Under 8's Water Safety MessageInformation regarding the supervision of under 8's at Public Pools has been sent out to over 2,000 primary schools around NZ with a request that they help us to spread the message by including it in their school newsletters. Hopefully this is a good start to spreading the message BEFORE parents arrive at our facilities. Those of you with Facebook pages for your facility - please put the poster on your page to help spread the message further. Maybe your staff might like to also put it on their own personal FB page? The poster can be downloaded here. PoolSafe Update - Important InformationThe PoolSafe Advisory group has revised the current criteria and other parts of the PoolSafe scheme. As a result some changes have been made in order to ensure that the scheme is as transparent and robust as possible. All information is available here. Please take the time to read this information to ensure you are up to date with what is happening in PoolSafe. PoolSafe AssessorsThe role of the PoolSafe Assessors is to conduct robust and thorough assessments at all PoolSafe Pools. The team of Assessors for 2012 has been named by the Appointments Panel:
Meet the 2011 - 2102 Assessors Team by reading their bios (342K PDF file) PoolSafe Advisory GroupThe Advisory group will be responsible for providing advice, industry feedback and leadership to NZRA with regard to the PoolSafe Scheme. The purpose is to assist with the review and development of the PoolSafe business plan in order to ensure the ongoing quality and growth of the scheme. The Advisory Panel has now been named by the Appointments Panel:
This group of people brings a vast array of experience and knowledge from the industry and will ensure that the PoolSafe Scheme continues to grow and be successful. Child SupervisionIncreasingly children are being left unsupervised at public swimming pools. Tragically a two year old boy drowned at a PoolSafe Pool in 2007. The incident was reviewed by NZRA, the report highlighted the need for direct supervision of young children by parents and caregivers and strict enforcement of the Pool Alone policy. Lifeguards do a great job of keeping our pools safe, but they are not babysitters. The Pool Alone policy was developed in 1997 (revised in 2002) to provide national consistency within the aquatics industry. The policy provides a recommended code of practice for child supervision and states:
Children under 8 must be actively supervised by a caregiver 16 or over. Pool Alone Radio AdsNZRA has produced a series of three Pool Alone radio ads designed to promote enjoyment and safe supervision at public pools this summer. There are also three versions of a public address notice that pools can download and use. Each PA announcement is slightly different. To listen, please click on the links below. To save, right click and select Save Target As..
Pool Alone BrochureYour Child Your Responsibility - is a brochure targeted at parents and caregivers of children. This brochure will assist pool managers and lifeguards to communicate the importance of supervision at public swimming pools and is available free of charge via WSNZ. Consistent Communication - All facilities should also develop a standard set of key messages to ensure maximum consistency of communication by all staff members. Suggested Pool Alone key messages include: Why do I have to watch my child - that's your job? Lifeguards are an important safety feature, but they are not intended to replace the close supervision of parents or caregivers. In public swimming pools all children under 8 must be actively supervised by a caregiver 16 or over. Do I need to watch my child constantly? YES. Active supervision means watching your child at all times. Able to provide immediate assistance. Tragically many drowning deaths occur in the few seconds that parents are distracted. Difficult Customers - Sometimes a customer will not respond to the best efforts at education and patience. Such cases should be immediately referred to the Senior Lifeguard or person in charge. At all times when dealing with parents/caregivers, reinforce the need to ensure the safety of those using the facility. Explain that the facility is an environment with inherent dangers and that the role of a lifeguard is to ensure people are safe in the water - they are not babysitters.
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