Principals Today #131

Page 53

Property | Pool Maintenance

Sorting pool safety A check list to help prevent drownings Is the latch on the gate to your swimming pool working properly? Are there any parts of the fence small children might crawl under? Checking these and other aspects of a pool is one of the things New Zealanders can do to help children stay safe around swimming pools. Dr Felicity Dumble, chair of the Health Quality & Safety Commission’s Child and Youth Mortality Review

Committee, says pool drownings are highly preventable. “We encourage everyone to follow some routine fence checks and make sure anything that could allow inadvertent access is repaired.” Checks and other advice include: • Ensure the gate latch clicks shut automatically. Over time the spring can become less effective. Hold the gate open at varying distances from the lock and check it springs shut and fully latches • Never prop the gate open

• Ensure there are no gaps under the gate when it is closed and there is no part of the fence small children could crawl under (maximum permissible gap between ground and fence/gate is 100mm) • Check the condition of a metal fence. The joints can become weak due to rust and have been known to come apart with a firm tug • Check the condition of a timber fence. As the structure ages, the screws and nails can loosen and allow the slats to be removed. Similarly, the wood can age and weaken, so any rotting sections should be replaced • Always keep moveable objects (such as plastic chairs, bricks or pot plants) well away from the pool area. A child can drag them and then use them to climb over the fence

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• Remove any tree branches that could allow a child to gain access to the pool area • Clear toys from the pool area, so it is not tempting for children to go in. Local councils throughout New Zealand can offer guidance on ensuring your pool meets all the safety regulations. Further information is available at Water Safety New Zealand: www.watersafety.org.nz.

Testing the waters Schools are required by law to test their swimming pool water to ensure they are safe to swim in. Swimming Pools are treated to keep the microorganism population down to levels which are considered safe for bathers and the quality of the water depends on the efficiency of the water treatment.

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To gauge this, a testing programme has been set up with accepted guidelines as per the New Zealand Standard for Pool Water Quality NZS 5826:2010.

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Four different tests are carried out and below is an explanation of each: Standard Plate Count This test looks for the total number of general bacteria, which present in the water. If there are high counts of bacteria it may be indicative of a problem, and “where there is smoke, there may well be fire”. Faecal Coliform Count This is an indicator test which looks at the presence of bacteria of faecal origin. If faecal coliforms are present, it indicates that there is a possibility that other bacteria associated with the gut, such as Salmonella or

Campylobacter, may also be present. These bacteria can cause sickness. Staphylococcus aureus Count This bacteria can cause skin irritations especially in wounds, cuts or abrasions. It can also cause sickness if swallowed or ingested. It can be found in infected wounds or in the nasal cavity when you have a cold.

Spa and swimming pool guidelines NZ5826:2010 Standard Guidelines • Standard Plate Count: (less than) <200 bacteria per ml water • Faecal Coliform Count: (less than) <1 bacteria per 100mls water

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Count

• Staphylococcus aureus Count: (less than) <100 bacteria per 100mls water

This bacteria is associated with eye and ear infections when dunking the head in swimming pools.

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa Count: (less than) <10 bacteria per 100mls water.

Call our technical experts on

09 837 0897 x 3 or find your local EPOTEC Approved Applicator at

www.cotec.co.nz

www.principalstoday.co.nz    Term 3, 2021 | 53


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