Risk Assessment Overview for Swimming Activities & Carnivals (excluding structured Learn to Swim & Water Safety Programs) Conducted by: Pool Manager, Life Guard (2), Aquatics Program Coordinator RUTH EVERUSS AQUATIC CENTRE Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre, Church St LIDCOMBE References: Cancer Council, N.S.W. Swimming Association, Austswim, RLSSA, Swim Australia, Dept. Sport & Recreation., NSW DET Special Notes: Each activity is to be assessed individually. A Representative is to review the risk assessment prior to any program commencing - normally 7 days prior; and required adjustments be notified to Centre Management as early as possible. A copy of the Risk Assessment will reside with a Representative at all times throughout activities. This document is designed to offer a practical overview and to facilitate a safe program. It can be adjusted according to any specific school needs. Adjustments must be approved by both Centre Management and the Representative. As a minimum all school activities held at the Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre must not breach the minimum safety standards as prescribed by the NSW Department of Education Sport and Physical Activity in s, Safe Conduct Guidelines (found at https://www.det.nsw.edu.au) Risk Indicator Used Extreme Risk Likely - 1 High Risk - 2 Moderate Risk - Low Risk - Extremely Low Risk - Activity / Step Possible Hazards / Risks Score Control Emergency Procedures & General Safety - Student safety at Centre - Safety of Staff / Volunteers - Traffic, vehicle movement, - Pedestrians/ general public Collisions, serious injury, death, exposure to hazards Collisions, serious injury, death Briefing at beginning of the activity to include; location of amenities, emergency equipment, first aid, emergency evacuation points, the activity area and general pool rules To take place with Coordinators / Volunteers Coordinators to be supplied with; Centre Emergency Evacuation Plan Risk Assessment Overview One hand-held radio to provide direct communication with Life Guards/ Centre Staff A written announcement to guide PA announcements during an emergency A copy of the Centre physical location details for use in an emergency The designated area for parking vehicles is away from bus drop-off zone Signage indicates where vehicles park Bus drop off zone directly in front of pool entrance - on same side of road Students have allocated waiting areas pre/post activities Use of witches hats if necessary to direct movement of students/teachers to the activity area Use of in and out designated doorways as required New score Responsibility Coordinator Local Council
- Sun Sun burn, exposure to U.V. rays, heat exhaustion, dehydration All student waiting areas pre/ during/ post activities are under cover Ensure drinking fluids are available Provision of sunblock - Other swimmers in water Collisions, serious injury, death - Pool concourse - Change rooms - Wet areas - Lawn - Instructional equipment Entanglement, slips, trips, falls - Swimming Activities / Races Drowning, collisions, serious injury, crowd crush, slips, trips, falls, cuts, abrasions, impaired visibility Designated and clearly marked in-water activity areas Use of large lane ropes and dividers Clearly identified private & designated activity area No public access to school activity area Entrance, meeting areas, pathways, change rooms and activity areas to be free from hazards; inspected prior to event Each activity will start and finish out of the water Students walk to water entrance point to minimise slips, trips and falls (the No Running rule applies at all times) Equipment at water edge to be minimal & tidy at all times Only equipment in good working order to be used Minimal equipment use at all times Designated swimming areas with restricted/ controlled access Rescue/ recovery equipment (e.g. rescue tube, spinal board) placed for accessibility All school staff, school volunteers to be briefed pool scanning techniques - See Appendix 1 Hand-held radio available at all times to ensure communication Pool supervisor(teachers / Volunteers) to be appointed and onhand at all times top watch each activity First Aid facilities and lifeguard to be on hand at all times Head count pre and post activity; one activity at a time. No free swimming unless 7 days prior notice is given to Centre Management No events will involve holding breath or swimming underwater as its key objective or a requirement - See Appendix 2 - Fatigued swimmers Drowning, exhaustion SPECIAL NOTES DIVING Diving can only be performed at the deep end of the 0m pool only. All s must adhere to the NSW DET Aquatic Guidelines: Safe Water Entry For Competitions Competitive Starts. All activities and skills to meet industry standards and be appropriate for student ability Activities shall be conducted in a water depth and location suitable to swimmer ability. Non-swimmers use areas around pool edge and shallow (to stand) Use of easily held, quality lane ropes and dividers Activities structures to be suitable to weakest student ability (endurance) in each particular activity or event A minimum ration of 1 school staff/volunteers: 9 swimmers; to observe activities
- Adverse weather Panic, electric shock, drowning As per Swimming Australia Guidelines Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre Lightning Policy states; When a lightening flash is seen, count the time until sound arrives. A delay of 10 seconds means the lightening is km away (1km =. seconds). A 10km distance from electrical activity is considered safe. Less than 0seconds between the flash to the bang should activate immediate pool evacuation for all patrons to a safe area such as a car or an undercover area that is dry and away from electrical fitting. - Child Protection Assault, abuse, trauma During lightening all students to be removed from pool and to wait inside the pool enclosed gymnasium, change rooms or under main pool entrance area During extreme heat (over degrees) all students waiting or observing areas to be under shade. Students will be reminded to hydrate every mins. As per The Child Protection (Prohibited Employment) Act 1998. All in contact with students are screened according to NSW Government Legislation as suitable to work with children within NSW i.e. have undergone working with children checks The pool will not engage any volunteers to assist with a school program. All pool staff are employed and screened. Only Employed Staffs are to assist pool staff with the conduct of activities if required. The school must provide in writing a statement indicating that any Appointed Volunteer has undergone appropriate child protection screening - if that volunteer is to assist a pool staff member. Staff to observe students at all times Pool Manager
APPENDIX 1 EXTRACT from https://www.det.nsw.edu.au Supervision, Scanning and Surveillance Procedures Supervision is the key for the safe conduct of aquatic activity! Supervising students in aquatic environments requires a unique set of skills and knowledge. It is vital that staff maintain vigilance throughout the activity day and provide ongoing supervision of students within the water. WHAT IS SCANNING? Scanning is the systematic visual observation of the venue, its users and their activities. Teachers/staff will observe student behaviour and look for signals that someone in the water needs help. Effective scanning assumes that teachers can see the entire area, that they know what they are looking for, and that they recognise it when they see it. They should be in a position to maintain supervision of the water at all times and should scan the bottom of the pool as well as the surface. The principles of scanning: Observers must be positioned with clear, unobstructed sight lines. Lifeguards may assist in the positioning of teachers. Move to counteract student and patron interference, especially in ground-level supervision. Scanning strategies must compensate for an inability to see below the surface and for the distance they are from user activity. Focus on people and what they are doing. Make eye contact whenever possible. Watch the face. Spend less time and attention on patrons who are good swimmers or safely enjoying the water, but still include them in your scanning. Check weaker swimmers more frequently. Each student within an individual teacher's area of responsibility should be checked every 10 seconds. Look and listen for the unusual. Avoid staring at the same thing. Give your eyes a break by focusing momentarily on some distant object, or the horizon. Use your peripheral vision to detect movement. In outdoor facilities, monitor changes in the environmental conditions (weather and water) for their potential impact on student behaviour and safety. Be careful of conditions that affect visibility, such as glare from the sun, overhead lights, cloudy water or shadows on the water at different times of the day. Avoid turning your back on the area - walk backwards or sideways to avoid loss of eye contact. Scan the bottom of the pool first, then the surface. Arm and leg action, body position and movement through the water are good indictors of weak swimmers and those in trouble. Don't interrupt scanning your area except to make a rescue or stop someone from breaking the rules. It should only take a few seconds to explain the dangers to someone breaking the rules and often teachers are able to continue scanning while doing this. If more time is needed teachers should seek assistance. If a student asks a question or has a concern, acknowledge them and explain that you are listening but still need to scan your area. Refer the student to the duty supervisor or another staff member if needed.
APPENDIX 2 EXTRACT from https://www.det.nsw.edu.au HYPOXIC BLACKOUT and DROWNING Why is this information so important? Every year there are a number of previously healthy young swimmers found dead, drowned, in backyard pools and in sheltered waterways often at a depth in which they could have stood up! There are a number of causes for this, ranging from epilepsy (fits) to abnormal heart rhythms. This Fact Sheet deals with one of the most common and preventable causes of these types of death - hyperventilation leading to hypoxic blackout. Hyperventilation means over breathing (more than normal or needed). Hypoxic means inadequate oxygen. The physiology of breath-holding It is not difficult for a good swimmer to hold his breath and swim underwater for a minute or so. This is possible because there is oxygen available in the lungs and in the blood stream. If the blood oxygen level drops to about half the normal level, the swimmer will lose consciousness without any warning. Then, survival depends on rescue by others. Fortunately, nature has given us a safety mechanism which usually prevents this happening. As oxygen is used by the body, carbon dioxide is produced. If a swimmer is breath-holding, the carbon dioxide builds up quickly and this produces an inescapable urge to breathe, the so-called breath-hold breaking point. This happens before the oxygen level drops to dangerous (hypoxic) levels. The swimmer surfaces and breathes. The reduction in oxygen levels is then corrected before loss of consciousness occurs. What are the dangers of breath-holding? This safety mechanism can be delayed or by-passed by taking deep breaths (hyperventilating) before breath-holding and submerging. This hyperventilation removes carbon dioxide from the body. Without a build-up of carbon dioxide the safety mechanism is not triggered and the length of time that a swimmer can hold their breath can be extended - but only by the swimmer becoming more hypoxic. Swimmers may simply slow down and lose consciousness. In ensuing breaths water, rather than oxygen, enters the lungs and the swimmer drowns. Some children test these limits by hyperventilating before breath-hold diving to prolong their underwater endurance or swimming distance. This can often be linked to competitions to see how far or how long they can swim underwater (usually in swimming pools). The depth of water is irrelevant. Usually the children that die this way are the best of swimmers and the technique of hyperventilation is used to extend their time underwater. Hypoxic blackout also accounts for 20% of snorkeling deaths in Australia (all ages) and almost all of the snorkeling deaths in young, fit males.