In the aquatic industry, and as swimming pool operators we are surrounded by regulations and industry best practices. Do you know the difference between the two?
Regulation can be defined as a rule or even as a directive that has been made by an authority, and is maintained by that authority. While the Industry Best Practice is when the industry, based on case studies, previous experiences, or even legal action chooses a specific direction for their policies and procedures.
If you own, manage or work in a property, facility or organization that has a public swimming pool or hot tub, you must adhere to the Alberta Public Swimming Pools Regulation and Standards. Which includes taking a swimming pool operator course level one, that has been verified by the Alberta Health and Wellness Standards. Our Swimming Pool Operator Level 1 course meets Alberta Health and Wellness Standards.
| Statement | Regulation Or Industry Best Practice (IBP) | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| An employer must assess a work site and identify existing and potential hazards before work begins at the work site or prior to the construction of a new work site | Regulation | OH&S Code – Part 2, 2-1, 7(1) |
| An employee is allowed to support beard even if they are required to wear a respiratory protective equipment so long as they groom it properly | Regulation | OH&S Code – Part 18, 18-8, 250(2) |
| A Pool Operator is considered certified if, prior to November 30, 2014, the Pool Operator a) Has successfully completed a pool operator course through the Alberta Association of Recreation Facility Personnel, the National Swimming Pool Foundation, or a regional health authority in Alberta, and b) Is operating a pool or teaching a pool course | Regulation | AHS Pool Standards – Part 3, 1.2, Page 8 |
| Employees 15 to 17 years of age who work in jobs that are not in retail or hospitality can work between 12:01 am and 6:00 am. However, they require: parental or guardian consent and adult supervision. | Regulation | Alberta Employment Standards Lifesaving Society Alberta Public Pool Safety Standards – Section 3, Page 13 |
| You can keep you pool open if you notice a crack in your main drain cover | Regulation | AHS Pool Standards – Part 3, 9.6, 9.6.3, Page 16 |
| During a fecal incident you were informed that the person who had the incident has been ill, and when you go to scoop it out of the pool it cannot be captured in the net. You decide to treat it as a diarrhea event. | Regulation | AHS Pool Standards – Part 5, Page 23 |
| You are a five lane 25m outdoor pool with a diving board where the pool progressively slopes from 1m to 3m. You decide to place 1 guard on deck for every 75 patrons in the pool. | IBP | Lifesaving Society Alberta Public Pool Safety Standards – Section 3, Page 13-14. |
| I like to keep my cyanuric acid levels at 60 milligrams per litre to ensure the sun doesn’t burn off the chlorine in my pool too fast | Regulation | AHS Pool Standards – Part 3, 4.6 Page 12 |
| Because we are a small town, our pool isn’t very busy, and everybody knows everybody, we allow children as young as 6 be admitted into our pool without direct supervision. | IBP | Lifesaving Society Alberta Public Pool Safety Standards – Section 3, Pages 13-14 |
| Are in-services mandatory? How often. How many hours. Specific topics. | IBP | Lifesaving Society Alberta Public Pool Safety Standards – Section 2, 2.2.2, Page 10 The document above uses the term on-going in-service training. |
| Who is tasked with pool operations? | Regulation | AHS Pool Standards – Part 3, 1.0, Page 8 AHS Public Swimming Pool Regulation – Section 5 & Section 6 |
| Who decides your contamination plan/procedure? | Regulation | AHS Pool Standards – Part 3, 1.0, Page 8 AHS Public Swimming Pool Regulation – Section 5 & Section 6 |
| Guards on deck during swim lessons | IBP | Lifesaving Society Alberta Public Pool Safety Standards – Section 3, 3.3, 3.3.1, Page 14-15 |