SCOPE

This section of the Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations (GSPO) provide practical guidance for owners or operators of aquatic facilities in relation to the qualifications, skills and training needed for staff working:

• In an aquatic facility
• In programs and/or services delivered by an aquatic facility or at an aquatic facility
• In programs and/or services delivered by a third party organisation in association with an aquatic facility
• In formal aquatic programs and/or services delivered by a person or organisation outside of an aquatic facility, such as a vacation or holiday swimming and water safety program in an open-water environment.

This GSPO applies to all Hotels, Motels, Camping and Caravan Grounds, Commercial and Public Aquatic Facilities and Learn to Swim Schools, and Body Corporate who own or manage an aquatic facility for the purpose of swimming or recreating such as a pool or waterslide. It may be used for public waterways such as Rivers, Creeks and Streams.

This Guideline provides practical guidance for owners or operators of aquatic facilities in relation to the qualifications, skills and training needed for staff for entry into employment in the aquatic industry.

This GSPO has been developed by Royal Life Saving Society Australia under the guidance of the National Aquatic Industry Committee and includes key information for adoption by the Commonwealth, State and Territory and Local Governments and owners or operators of facilities or locations with aquatic environments.

When considering the minimum staffing levels at an aquatic location (in addition to the Supervision guidelines), operators are encouraged to consider:

• The ability to appropriately respond to all emergency situations which may arise
• The ability to act in line with facility policies and procedures
• The ability to act in line with industry standards and community expectations
• The capacity to undertake operational activities whilst maintaining supervision levels
• The communication structures / equipment available in the event of an emergency
• The capacity to demonstrate sufficiently qualified and trained supervising staff during all periods of operation (regardless of sickness / staff absence)

In this GSPO, the following terms are used:

• must – indicates a legal requirement that businesses must comply with
• should – indicates a recommendation
• may – indicates a choice
• can – indicates a possibility or a capability

These Guidelines do not provide recommendations or guidance regarding on-the-job training, onboarding, skills maintenance, competency assessment, health or fitness requirements or ongoing  licensing and re-accreditation requirements. These are covered in other RLSSA Guidelines and/or other  industry guidance. The summary table attempts to summarise the arrangements across a range of  other guidance and is not exhaustive. Employers should ensure that they understand in full the  industry and legislative guidance for particular aquatic industry roles.

LIMITATIONS

The content of the GSPO is general in nature only and do not constitute professional or legal advice. You and your organisation should seek your own legal advice in relation to any legal or professional matter that you or your organisation may have.

GUIDELINE CONTENT

RLSSA ACCEPTANCE AND RELEASE NOTICE

This document is a managed document. For identification of amendments, each document contains an issue date, number and a page number. Changes will only be issued as a complete replacement document. Recipients should remove superseded versions from circulation.

Authorisation:

Amendments in this release:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The production of this section of the Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations has been made possible by the contributions by the following organisations:

• Aligned Leisure
• Aquatic Recreation Institute (ARI NSW)
• Aquatics and Recreation Victoria (ARV)
• Australian Council for Swimming and Water Safety Teachers (AUSTSWIM)
• Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association (ASCTA)
• Australian Swim Schools Association (ASSA)
• Belgravia Leisure
• BlueFit
• City of Greater Geelong
• City of Norwood
• Fair Work Ombudsman
• Leisure Institute of Western Australia Aquatics (LIWA)
• Leisure Management Excellence
• Logan City Council
• Royal Life Saving Australia and its State/Territory Member Organisations
• Stevens Vuaran Lawyers
• Sunshine Coast Council
• Swimming Pool and Spa Association Australia
• Swimming Australia
• The Y

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

In the spirit of reconciliation, Royal Life Saving Society Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continued connection to land, waters and communities. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; Elders past, present and emerging.

COPYRIGHT

© 2023 Royal Life Saving Society – Australia

This publication is copyright. Except as expressly provided in the Copyright Act 1968 and the Copyright Amendment Act 2006, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted by any means (including electronic, mechanical, micro copying, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior permission from Royal Life Saving Society – Australia. For enquiries concerning reproduction, contact RLSSA on: Phone 02 8217 3111; Email: info@rlssa.org.au

Every attempt has been made to trace and acknowledge copyright, but in some cases this may not have been possible. Royal Life Saving apologises for any accidental infringements and would welcome any information to redress the situation.

Please contact:

Royal Life Saving Society – Australia

PO Box 558 Broadway

NSW 2007 Australia

Phone: 02 8217 3111              Email: info@rlssa.org.au