STA POOL PLANT

Management Of Pool Equipment In Swimming Lessons

With swimming pools now being accessed by members of the public, in this edition, the STA looks at best practice for commercial pools to make them as clean and safe as possible for visitors during the Coronavirus pandemic.

With the re-opening of swimming pools now taking place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (and potentially Scotland in September), the question of using, and the methods for cleaning pool equipment, is a prevalent one, especially for those who run public swimming lessons.

The use of swimming equipment has been discussed in-depth previously in relation to bacterial growth if cleansing regimes are not managed properly, but swimming lesson providers now face a new challenge with COVID-19.

In May, STA published its ‘Best Practice Guidance for the Re-Opening of Swimming Pools’, and then in July, the government further updated its guidance on cleaning in non-healthcare settings in England, which STA subsequently reflected in the cleaning section of their guidance. The government’s guidance served to clarify and simplify the process for cleaning and sanitising pool equipment.

WHAT DOES STA’S GUIDANCE STATE?

• Remove, where possible, all toys, kick boards and teaching equipment until safe to use again.

• If toys and equipment are to be used, they must be cleaned and sanitised regularly, after each lesson (in-between uses) as per the government’s guidance using normal cleaning and sanitising procedures. At the end of the day, STA would then recommend full disinfection takes place, where the equipment is cleaned, sanitised, disinfected, rinsed and dried ready for the next day.

• No sharing of equipment between swimmers – discontinue the loan of goggles and encourage everyone to bring their own equipment.

• Ask swimmers to bring their own equipment to the lesson.

• Consider having two separate sets of equipment and using them in alternate lessons; then while one is being used, the other can be disinfected by an appointed member of staff.

• Review the amount of games planned within a lesson, can the games be played whilst social distancing is maintained? Do the games require lots of equipment which will be shared between swimmers?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLEANING, SANITISING AND DISINFECTION?

• Cleaning: the removal of visible soil, debris, micro-organisms and organic substances from surfaces; will not eliminate germs but reduces their numbers by removing some contaminated matter. Cleaning is just the first step in a complete decontamination process, but it’s a step you can’t skip. Even if you intend to sanitise or disinfect the area, cleaning away visible soil, dust or debris beforehand makes it easier and more effective to remove microscopic germs with more intensive methods later. Cleaning is typically done using clean water in combination with a universal detergent.

The use of swimming equipment has been discussed in-depth previously in relation to bacterial growth if cleansing regimes are not managed properly, but swimming lesson providers now face a new challenge with COVID-19”

• Sanitisation: the reduction of bacteria to safe levels (set by public health standards) to decrease the risk of infection; may not kill all viruses. A step beyond cleaning, sanitisation kills a greater number of bacteria. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) explains that “a sanitiser is a chemical that kills 99.999% of the specific test bacteria in 30 seconds under the conditions of the test”. An example would be Milton’s Sterilising Tablets or Fluid www.milton-tm.com/en/consumer/covid-19-guidelines

• Disinfection: the elimination of pathogens and disease-causing micro-organisms,except bacterial spores. Disinfection is a stronger decontamination method because of its ability to destroy pathogens.

STORAGE

How equipment is stored and maintained is another vital aspect for managing both bacterial cross-contamination and the spread of COVID-19.

• Invest in secure, well-drained baskets/ boxes for storing equipment i.e. arm bands and toys. Use different storage baskets for foam items, i.e. floats, woggles. This allows for the items to be stored in relatively dry conditions. Also ensure the storage boxes are disinfected daily.

• Cleanse and sterilise all cleaning utensils, brushes and cloths etc. after each use.

• Stock dilute solutions can be mixed from Hypochlorite based commercial disinfectants - however careful mixing is essential to dilute correctly and, ensure bather and staff safety. Mixing should only be carried out following a thorough risk assessment and stringent risk controls being applied, and by following the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) data sheets for the chemicals being used.

• Suitable personal protective clothing should always be worn as per risk assessment.

TIP: Operators could consider Milton sterilising fluid as a chlorine based cleaning agent, providing a risk assessment is carried out and necessary risk controls are applied.

To ensure swimming pools can safely re-open, knowledge is essential, which is why training is so important. As such, throughout the lockdown, STA has been running free weekly webinars with experts from across the industry. More recently this included a webinar titled ‘Reopening and risks after lockdown in relation to wet leisure facilities’, which was hosted by pool plant experts Robbie Phillips and Martyn Hardy and is available for anyone to view via STAOnline. As further support, STA has also developed a free COVID-19 Officer Awareness’ Training CPD.

For further information on all of STA’s COVID-19 resources please visit the STA website and follow the links from the home page.

STA | 01922 645097 | www.sta.co.uk