Aquatic Health & Safety Awareness Campaign

This campaign was initiated out of a creative sentencing for a municipal conviction under OHS legislation 2022 Award. Let’s work together to prevent aquatic workplace slip, trip, and fall injuries.

Click Here

Aquatic Health & Safety Awareness Campaign Objectives

Awareness Topics

Awareness topics in the Aquatic Health and Safety Awareness Campaign, include:

Identifying occupational slip, trip, and fall hazard areas,
Prevention of slips, trips, and falls, and
Recorded informational webinars facilitated by a fall prevention and protection professional.

Use the links below for details or scroll down to see more information.

Personas

Free Webinars

Safety Operator
Certificates

Identifying
Hazard Areas

Prevention of
Slips, Trips and Falls

Available
Resources

Aquatic Audience Personas

Municipal aquatic (pool) operations have a diverse audience. These audiences would benefit from participating in or receiving information that targeted to them from Aquatic Awareness Campaign. Below are personas that may reflect you or persons in your municipal aquatic (pool) work site.

Learn more by clicking on a persona picture below that best reflects you.

Vulnerable Workers

Young

Short-tenure

Aquatic Clerk

Recent Immigrants

Supervisors

Aquatic/Pool Supervisor

Lifeguard

Manager

Recreation Supervisor

Team Lead

Pool Maintenance Contractors

Plumbing/Concrete Trades

Labourer

Crew Lead

Pool Service Technician

Pool Builder Technician

Certified Aquatic Safety Operator

Municipal Recreation Facility Operator

Swimming Pool Operator Level 1

Swimming Pool Operator Level 2

Other Interested Parties

Health and Safety:

Manager
Advisor
Coordinator
H&S Committee Member / Representative

Union Member / Representative

Alberta Municipal Representatives

Fall Protection / Prevention Subject Matter Expert

Vulnerable Worker

Defined

Individuals who have 1 or more of the following characteristics:

are older (aged 55 or more)
are young (aged 24 or less),
are Indigenous,
have a short tenure,
are seasonal workers,
have multiple jobs, or
are temporary foreign workers and/or migrants.

*GoA Prevention Initiative for Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety System. INFO005.

Young

Short-tenure

Aquatic Clerk

Recent Immigrants

Valuable resources

Webinars:

GoA Resources:

Slips, trips, falls – Housekeeping video (6-minutes)
Slips, trips, falls – Slips and trips video (5-minutes)
Common fall hazards – OHS Information

AMHSA Courses:

eLearning

Instructor Led

Supervisor

Defined

Position of the individual in charge of a work site or directing the activities of workers.

*GoA Prevention Initiative for Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety System. INFO005.

Aquatic/Pool Supervisor

Lifeguard

Manager

Recreation Supervisor

Team Lead

Valuable resources

Webinars:

GoA Resources:

AMHSA Courses:

eLearning

Instructor Led

Pool Maintenance Contractor

Defined

Contractors that build, repair, and maintain pools, spas, aquatic machines, and equipment.

Plumbing/Concrete Trades

Labourer

Crew Lead

Pool Service Technician

Pool Builder Technician

Valuable resources

Webinars:

GoA Resources:

AMHSA Courses:

eLearning

Instructor Led

Certified Aquatic Safety Operator

Defined

Municipal employees pursuing or having completed the Aquatic Safety Operator Certification from the Alberta Recreation Facility Personnel (AARFP) Safety Recreation Facility Operator certification.

Municipal Recreation Facility Operator

Swimming Pool Operator Level 1

Swimming Pool Operator Level 2

Valuable resources

Webinars:

GoA Resources:

AMHSA Courses:

eLearning

Instructor Led

Other Interested Parties

Defined

Management representatives responsible for policies and procedures related to working in/around indoor and outdoor pools.
Health and Safety representatives and committee members.
Health and Safety advisors, managers.
Union Representatives

Health and Safety:

Manager
Advisor
Coordinator
H&S Committee Member / Representative

Union Member / Representative

Alberta Municipal Representatives

Fall Protection / Prevention Subject Matter Expert

Valuable resources

Webinars:

GoA Resources:

AMHSA Courses:

eLearning

Instructor Led

Free Webinars

Identifying slip, trip, and fall hazards

Click here to view the learning objectives

Types of fall protection including guardrails

Click here to view the learning objectives

Fall protection plan and systems implementation

Click here to view the learning objectives

On Demand Webinars

There are three Aquatic Health and Safety Awareness webinars focused on the prevention and protection of occupational slips, trips, and falls at recreational pool work sites. These 50-minute webinars are presented by a Fall Prevention and Protection Engineer outlining valuable information and takeaways.

Click Here

Learning Objectives

Identifying slip, trip, and fall hazards

Identify known slip, trip, and fall hazards.
Create a strategy to identify slip, trip, fall hazards
Identify contributing factors that enables or prevents the hazard from existing.
Create awareness of slip, trip, all fall hazards to specific work parties / departments.
Review the Alberta occupational health and safety legislation specifically, hazard assessment [AB OHS Code 7(1)], and Fall Protection – General Protection [AB OHS Code139(1)].

Register

Learning Objectives

Types of fall protection including guardrails

Reviewing when fall protection is required.
Outline the hierarchy of controls specific for slips, trips, and falls.
Identify the types of systems involved in the fall protection plan, such as:

guardrails,
travel restraint,
fall arrest, and
control zones.

Reviewing Alberta occupational health and safety legislation review specifically, water danger [AB OHS Code 157], Fall Protection Plan [AB OHS Code140(1)], Instruction of workers [AB OHS Code141(1) and 141(3)], and fall protection hierarchy [AB OHS Code139(3) to 13(8)].

Register

Learning Objectives

Fall protection plan and systems implementation

Overview of parts a fall protection plan.
Knowing the parts of a fall protection system.
Classification of system limitations in:

guardrails,
travel restraint,
fall arrest, and
control zones.

Implement a fall protection system(s) and plan.
Differentiate anchor point requirements from common anchor points found in the aquatic pool working environment.
Formulate questions to ask manufactures or training providers prior to purchasing services or equipment.
Reviewing Alberta occupational health and safety legislation review specifically, anchoring strength [AB OHS Code 152].

Register

Safety Operator Certificates

Essential Knowledge for Keeping Your Facility Safe.

Program Overview

Alberta Association of Recreation Facility Personnel (AARFP) and Alberta Municipal Health and Safety Association (AMHSA) have partnered to offer four educational certification opportunities and technical skills related to the operation of recreation facilities. The four certification programs are: Arena Safety Operator, Aquatics Safety Operator, Building Maintenance Safety Operator, and Parks and Sport Fields Safety Operator.

What Are the Benefits?

Enhance your skills and knowledge as a safety operator.
Assists in professional development plans for your staff.
Establishes an educational standard in which recreation facility employers use as a basis for hiring.

Download the Safety Recreational Facility Operator Certifications brochure to learn more.

Click Here

Identifying Hazard Areas

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Identifying hazards is the first step in managing risk, because hazards that are not identified would not go through the process of controlling them. Unidentified hazards may lead to injury or illness. Identifying a hazard defines a problem, which initiates conducting a hazard assessment which assigns controls to eliminate or mitigate the negative effects of that hazard.

Click on a picture below to learn more.

Surface to Surface

Elevated Surfaces

Empty Pool Basin

Diving Boards

Pool Slides

Surface to Surface

Slips are commonly related to surface conditions that are relatively even, but slips can occur when the walking surface is wet, icy, oily, or if a mat has loose traction from underneath it. These conditions do not allow the foot to be securely placed on ground/walking surface to take the next step.

A trip from walking may occur when a foot is caught on something that is preventing it from moving in the intended direction. When a foot gets caught on an uneven surface or on something like the edge of a mat, it causes body to continue to move in the initial direction but without the “caught” foot to help keep the body upright.

Falls can be the result of these slips and trips, which can lead to an injury.

Download resources

Elevated Surfaces

Underestimating the severity of fall is common, but falls are the cause of many workplace lost time claims, and a fall from, as little as one metre, can result in serious injury or death.

Falls are often the result of a combination of a slip, loss of balance, and misjudging the height of a surface or step. Therefore, identifying and addressing these elevated surface conditions will help build a control measures that supports in preventing injury.

Download resources

HS Talk – Elevated Surface

Empty Pool Basin

Having an empty pool basin can be a reoccurring condition on the work site due to regular maintenance. An empty pool basin with a fall hazard of three vertical metres or more requires a Fall Protection Plan if workers are not protected by guardrails. Although not having guardrails may initiate creating and adhering to the Fall Protection Plan, the employer and supervisor must ensure workers are protected from the fall hazard.

Understanding when a Fall Protection Plan is required is fundamental.

Download resources

Diving Boards

Workers who inspect and maintain diving boards with a fall hazard of three metres or more will require a Fall Protection Plan as guardrails are not an option because of the amount of space required is limited. Although the landing surface of the fall may be water or a solid surface the vertical distance of three metres or more requires a Fall Protection Plan.

Knowing the elements to create an effective Fall Protection Plan will provide clarity to the effected employees and parties at the work site.

Download resources

Pool Slides

Workers who inspect and maintain water play structures such as slides, may be exposed to a fall hazard of three metres or more which will require a Fall Protection Plan as guardrails are not an option because of the amount of space required is limited.

If the fall hazard is less than three meters and there is not an unusual possibility of an injury, if the injury may be worse than an injury from landing on a solid, flat surface, a hazard assessment is still required and the identified slips, trips and falls hazards will call for control measures to prevent injury.

Falls are often the result of a combination of a slip, loss of balance, and misjudging the height of a surface or step. Therefore, identifying and addressing these elevated surface conditions will help build a control measures that supports in preventing injury.

Although the landing surface of the fall may be water or a solid surface the vertical distance of three metres or more requires a Fall Protection Plan.

Knowing the elements to create an effective Fall Protection Plan will provide clarity to the effected employees and parties at the work site.

Download resources

Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention

Creating and managing a safe and healthy workplace involves everyone.

Ensure you have these slip, trip, and fall injury prevention fundamentals:

Policies and procedures that prevent of slip, trip, and falls.
Roles and responsibilities
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), examples: footwear, fall restraint, arrest equipment.
Legislative requirements
Continuous improvement process
Hazard identification, assessment, and control measures, examples: orientation, fall protection plan, fall prevention systems.
Emergency response; rescue procedures.
Incident investigation.
Validate training is completed and practiced, examples: reoccurring training schedule, emergency exercises, and job observations.

Work Phases

Identifying key work phases draws attention to potential hazards, therefore starting the process to prevent an incident from occurring. Different work phases include, but is not limited to:

New worker, visitor, or contractor
Emptying the pool
Cleaning equipment and fixtures
Installing and dismantling barricades
Using fall protection
Routine work

Hazardous Controls

Managing the hazard, or other wise known as applying ‘hazard controls’ uses the ‘hierarchy of controls’ methodology. Hierarchy of controls is a step-by-step approach to eliminate or reduce workplace hazards. It rates the amount of protection the control has to the hazard. There are five layers of protection. This is a list of hazard controls in order of most effective to least effective level:

Elimination
Substitution
Engineering Controls
Administrative Controls
Personal Protective Equipment

Implementing Controls

Implementing controls can be applied various ways. Enforcement or punitive measures may not be the preferred or main methodology. Many successful stories include engaging key interested parties to help develop and implement control measures.

This creates a welcoming environment that enables discussions to understand all possible hazards and controls that may have otherwise been overlooked. Another benefit is the easement of communication. Discussions may overflow to other impacted parties allowing more opportunity for growth and relay the health and safety message. The interested parties want to see their efforts come to fruition and experience a healthier and safer working environment for everyone at the work site.