Qualified lifeguard a must in public swimming pools
Facilities will be closed if left unattended, official says
- By Dina Aboul Hosn, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 December 30, 2010
- Image Credit: Oliver Clarke/Gulf News Archive
- All public pools undergo regular checkups and inspections by municipality inspectors to ensure their safety and health conditions. Picture used for illustrative purposes only.
Dubai: Leaving a public swimming pool
unattended by a lifeguard will result in the closure of the pool by the
Public Health and Safety Department of Dubai Municipality, a Dubai
Municipality official said.
If residents are unhappy with the closure, they should settle the
matter with their landlord, property manager or developer, because it is
their responsibility to fulfil the safety conditions for all the public
facilities in a property, Engineer Reda Salman, Director of the Public
Health and Safety Department, said.
All public pools undergo regular checkups and inspections by
municipality inspectors to ensure their safety and health conditions.
An inspection includes collecting a water specimen for analysis,
checking the cleanliness of the pool and surrounding area, looking out
for any wrong practices such as smoking or eating and drinking in the
pool, and ensuring that each pool has a qualified and licensed lifeguard
during operations hours.
"That does not mean a lifeguard cannot take a break, but he has to be
present in the pool area as long as the pool is open to public, to be
able to take immediate action if the need arises," Salman said.
Wrong practices
The lifeguard's task is not only to monitor the pool area for any
possible drowning cases, but he has the power to stop any wrong
practices too. "A lifeguard is authorised to stop people from practising
any hazardous activity such as horseplay, smoking or entering the pool
without appropriate swimming attire. He can also ask people to leave the
pool if he suspects they may be under the influence of alcohol, or if
they behaved inappropriately or immorally," Salman said. "This is why it
is very important to have a qualified lifeguard in each public pool,"
he added.
In case the landlord or developer fails to abide by any of the safety
requirements, including the presence of a lifeguard, they will be given
a warning and a grace period to amend the status, if the violation was
not too severe. "People sometimes object to the closure of pools in
their residential buildings or villa complexes, but in case of someone
drowning, they will look for someone to blame, and in this case they
will forget that they wanted the pool to remain open despite lack of
safety measures and a lifeguard," Salman said. As per law, a public
swimming pool is one that exists in buildings, residential apartment and
villa complexes, clubs, hotels or public parks. A private swimming pool
is one that exists in private residential villas.
Approval required
Article 47 of Local Order No 11 for 2003 on public health and safety
in Dubai stipulates that building a swimming pool in Dubai is subject to
the approval of the concerned department on the pool's plans and
design, and with the exception of private swimming pools, once
completed, the contractor must get a certificate from the concerned
department that the pool is ready to operate.
Article 48 of the same order stipulates that the owner or property
manager is responsible for providing health conditions and safety
requirements in public swimming pools, including providing necessary
safety equipment and appointing a qualified lifeguard to monitor the
pool all the time, as well as carrying out regular maintenance works.
According to article 49, the Director General, based on
recommendation from the specialist department, can issue a decision to
close down any public swimming pool in the following conditions:
- 1. If the pool was in a condition that may cause health hazards for users and the owner did not rectify the situation within the grace period given by the department.
- 2. In case of a breakout of an infectious disease which can spread by water. In this case, the pool remains closed until a decision is issued by the concerned bodies declaring the emirate free of that disease.
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