Tag Archives: Pool and Spa Safety

Hotel Pool Safety Legal Risks: Hotel Owners Must “Go Above And Beyond” Pool Safety Standards To Avoid “Negligence Per Se” Lawsuits

“…In a Negligence Per Se case, once the plaintiff demonstrates the defendant failed to comply with an applicable statute, it creates a presumption that the duty was breached.”

“…compliance with…statutory requirements alone may not be sufficient to ward off a lawsuit in the event of a swimming pool-related injury because the Swimming Pool Industry Standards recommend safety precautions that go above and beyond the statutory requirements of the building and/or health codes…”

 For example, depending on the size and configuration of the pool(s), the building and/or health codes of most jurisdictions typically require that, at a minimum, the water depth be indicated by signs that are mounted in the pool deck at specified intervals and on the vertical wall in the tile line. Additionally, if there is no lifeguard on duty, then most jurisdictions require a sign advising swimmers of that fact.

For more:   http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3072/is_15_224/ai_n48840673/

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Filed under Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Pool And Spa, Training

Hotel Pool Health Risks: Use Of Chlorine Kills Many Pathogens But Produces Chloramines That Can Cause Respiratory And Ocular Illnesses

“…although chlorine kills many potential pathogens, it can also react with human wastes such as perspiration, urine, skin particles, and lotion in pool water to form chloramines and trihalomethanes. Chloramines may remain in the pool water or volatilize into the air, where they create the pungent smell and acutely irritating properties of air above swimming pools..”

“…an outbreak associated with a swimming pool and attributed to chloramine exposure led to cough or ocular symptoms in > 70% of pool patrons interviewed.  Chloramine levels in pool water depend on chlorine and nitrogen concentrations, pool pH, temperature, and water circulation patterns.

However, chloramine levels in the air above swimming pools are also influenced by ventilation and the pool water chemistry. Indoor pools are likely to be less well ventilated than outdoor pools, so the risks associated with chloramine exposure are likely to differ between indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

For more:   http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1289/ehp.9555

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Filed under Health, Insurance, Pool And Spa

Hotel Industry Pool Safety: Commercial Pool And Spa Safety Basics From The “Independent Pool And Spa Service Association” (IPSSA Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUKTCVpcaI0]

 This Independent Pool and Spa Service Association (IPSSA) video outlines safety issues at commercial pools and spas.

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Filed under Health, Injuries, Liability, Maintenance, Pool And Spa, Training

Hotel Pool And Spa Health And Safety: Operator Of An Iowa Hotel Failed To Have “Certified Pool Operator” And Guest Claims To Have Contracted Legionella Disease During Stay

“… the Iowa Department of Public Health found Legionella disease in a hospitalized patient who claimed to have contracted the bacterial disease, which can cause pneumonia, during Memorial Day weekend at the Ottumwa Days Inn spa. The Ottumwa Health Department was made aware of the complaint on June 10.

 Ottumwa inspectors immediately tested the facilities and found that both the pool and spa had not been disinfected.

 

Gates said that the pool met code when it was last inspected in March by the city. One of the requirements for the pool facilities is that they have a certified pool operator. That person is in charge of testing the chemicals and making sure the facilities meet the requirements of the city and state codes. The Days Inn did not have a certified pool operator, Gates said. However, Gates noted, Legionella disease has not been confirmed to be present in the Ottumwa pools. They are awaiting test results that should be returned later this week.

“These rules are important because people can get sick if they are not complied,” Gates said, adding that she’s never had a complaint like this in her experience in the health department.

For more:   http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/dinn_swimming-pool-and-spa-at-the-days-inn-closed-down-987378.html

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Filed under Health, Liability, Maintenance, Pool And Spa, Risk Management, Training

Hotel Pool And Spa Health Risks: Super Bug “Crypto” Causes Most Common Recreational Water Illness (RWI), Survives For Days In Chlorinated Water, And Can Be Prevented Only When Guests Shower Before Swimming

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSTNXPJ0Htw]

 Healthy swimming expert Michael Beach warns about the superbug Crypto that causes the most common recreational water illness and suggests anyone with diarrhea should stay out of the water. The video explains that though we use chlorine to kill germs and protect our health, Crypto can survive for days in chlorinated water.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CawLQetCfKA&feature=related]

The second of three videos produced by the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare to raise awareness of Recreational Water Illness and how to prevent them.

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Filed under Health, Liability, Training

Hotel Pool And Spa Health And Safety: Pool Inspection Data Reveal That Failure To Maintain Disinfectant And pH Levels Are Serious Code Violations And Put Guest Health At Risk

“…hotel/motel pool inspections had the highest percentage of disinfectant level violations (….12.8%)..”

“…The most frequently reported type of recreational water illness (RWI) outbreak is gastroenteritis, the incidence of which is increasing…”

“…Of 111,487 inspections, 13,532 (12.1%) resulted in immediate closure because of serious violations (e.g., lack of disinfectant in the water)…”

Prevention of RWIs at treated venues requires pool operators to 1) maintain appropriate disinfectant and pH levels to maximize disinfectant effectiveness and 2) ensure optimal water circulation and filtration. Pool codes, promulgated by individual state or local public health agencies, govern pool operation.

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Filed under Health, Injuries, Liability

Hotel Pool Spa Health Risks: Legionaires Disease And Pontiac Fever Outbreaks Associated With “Poorly Maintained” Pools And Spas

“…a combined outbreak of Pontiac fever and legionnaires disease at a hotel in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, associated with exposure to a poorly maintained hot tub. Ninety‐five percent of the mostly adolescent 107 ill people had Pontiac fever, and the remainder had legionnaires disease.”

Most aerosolized sources of bacterial‐contaminated warm water, including whirlpool spas, warm spring pools, decorative fountains, cooling towers, and industrial cleaning systems that use high‐pressure water, have been linked to outbreaks of Pontiac fever.

Because the hot tub had been heavily disinfected before analysis by investigators, the results of hot tub water cultures were negative, but the results of PCR for L. pneumophila were positive. As in many outbreaks, a minority (46%) of persons with Pontiac fever had elevated L. pneumophila antibodies.

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/510394

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Filed under Health, Insurance, Liability, Training

Hotel And Resort Mineral Spa Safety: Risk Of Disease Transmission In Pool Spa Water Tied To Water Filtration Systems

“There’s a risk of disease transmission, there’s a risk of injury, there’s a real risk of death.”

The resort’s pool licence was revoked after inspectors found the water filtration system wasn’t working properly.

The issue lies with the pool’s 23 skimmers, which circulate the water through a central filter.

Engineers say that because of the high amount of minerals in the water, 19 of them are no longer working.

(From a WinnipegFreePress.com article)   There’s a storm a-brewin’ at a luxury resort north of Regina where health inspectors ordered a mineral spa closed this weekend over health and safety concerns.

Dwight Hayter, CEO of the Manitou Springs Hotel and Mineral Spa, said Saturday he’s got “24 layoffs and a hotel full of unhappy guests” on his hands.

“We don’t think this was necessary,” he said, acknowledging there are problems with the spa but insisting he wasn’t given enough time to fix them.

“To have another month, month-and-a-half extension on such an important issue as this, we didn’t think was a stretch.”

But deputy medical health officer John Opondo said the spa has been on probation for more than two years.

“We have been working with them progressively, we’ve had provincial partners involved in a peer review process to really try and bring them into compliance,” said Opondo.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/oddities/luxury-spa-at-saskatchewan-resort-closed-over-health-concerns-92599504.html

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Filed under Health, Insurance, Liability

Hotel Pool And Spa Health And Safety: Proper Water Chemistry Controls Are Essential To Maintaining Guest Health And Limit Illnesses (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCrDkXevV4Y]

A short video that describes basic water chemistry and the controls required for safe water.

Proper water chemistry is essential to maintaining safe and consistent swimming pool operation. Chemicals used in swimming pools include: Disinfectants to destroy harmful or otherwise objectionable organisms; Alkalinity and pH Adjusters to maintain a consistent acid-base relationship and acid buffering capacity; Chlorine Stabilizer to prevent unnecessary loss of chlorine; Algicide to kill and prevent algae, and Filter Aids to help remove foreign material. Following is a discussion of various factors which affect water chemistry, how they affect swimming pools and how to use pool chemicals to restore a properly balanced water chemistry.

http://www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/ehs/chem.htm

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Filed under Health, Liability, Training

Hotel And Resort Pool Health And Safety: Recreational Water Illnesses (RWI) Have Increased Over The Past Two Decades

Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, water play areas, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers, or oceans.

(From a CDC.gov posting)   RWIs can be a wide variety infections, including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and wound infections. The most commonly reported RWI is diarrhea. Diarrheal illnesses can be caused by germs such as Crypto (short for Cryptosporidium), Giardia, Shigella, norovirus and E. coli O157:H7. In the past two decades, there has been an increase in the number of RWI outbreaks associated with swimming.

CDC’s Healthy Swimming program offers information and resources to raise awareness about RWIs and how to prevent them.

http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/

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Filed under Health, Liability, Training