TQ8 - AQUATIC TECHNICAL OPERATORS
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TQ8 - Aquatic Technical Operators

Issue Date Effective Date Version
14/12/2023 01/01/2024 1.0

Purpose of this Guideline

To provide guidance to owners or operators of aquatic facilities as to what initial training and entry qualifications are appropriate for persons who manage pool water quality, treatment and maintenance or have responsibility for a plant room during a period of operation.

All aquatic facilities should employ persons with training and skills to manage water quality in line with state public health and safety guidelines and legislation. In some aquatic facilities this person may also be the pool lifeguard, a duty manager, a team leader, an operations coordinator or a facility manager. Employers should determine which level in the organisation is appropriate to hold the relevant qualifications and training and ensure that only trained and qualified personnel are responsible for water quality management, chemical treatment and plant management.

BACKGROUND

Both work health safety and public health regulations contain significant provisions to detail that employers must provide information, instruction, training and supervision to employees including inductions on commencement of employment, in relation to any workplace procedures and hazards and ensuring that any employee working in a hazardous environment is fully informed of the risk.

Chemical handling, plant management and pool water treatment carry inherent risk and processes interact with several significant hazards.

Responsibilities

Professionally managed publicly-accessible aquatic facilities are regulated workplaces under both work health safety and public health regulations. The regulations detail the statutory requirements to maintain pool water quality within regulated parameters. Failure to do so is an offence.

Aquatic Technical Operators are the persons responsible for maintaining legislated water quality standards at the aquatic facility. They are often responsible for overseeing the delivery of routine and reactive maintenance and water quality risk management plans.

In the event of a contamination incident, breakdown, or pools operating outside regulated parameters, Aquatic Technical Operators generally ensure the health and safety of the public and the wider staff team by ensuring that appropriate procedures are in place and followed.

A deep understanding of swimming pool chemistry, circulation and filtration, chemical storage and handling, maintenance, plant and equipment, risk management and safe work procedures and practices is required.

Initial qualifications

Staff at an aquatic facility who manage pool water quality, treatment and maintenance or have responsibility for a plant room during a period of operation, should hold the current nationally recognised Aquatic Technical Operator skill set, or most recent superseded version, or units of competency that make up that skill set, or successive replacement(s); or current, or most recent superseded versions, or successive replacements of the below qualifications:

  • CPP31218 Certificate III in Swimming Pool and Spa Service; or,
  • CPP41319 Certificate IV in Swimming Pool and Spa Service

In order to determine the role / level in the organisation where this qualification is needed, employers should give regard to local public health regulations, the likelihood of hazards and risks eventuating, the degree of harm that would result if the hazard or risk eventuated, what the employer knowns, or ought to reasonably know, about the hazard or risk and any ways and means of eliminating or reducing the hazard or risk, the availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or reduce the hazard or risk and the cost of eliminating or reducing the hazard or risk.

Re-accreditation / Licensing (WA - only)

Aquatic Technical Operators working in WA are required under the Department of Health Code of Practice to “maintain currency of practice demonstrated by maintaining accreditation with the Leisure Institute of Western Australia (Aquatics) or an approved equivalent.”

Onboarding / induction

Aquatic Technical Operators should receive an induction to their place of work. Inductions may include information on the following:

  • Facility-specific plant room(s) orientation
  • Induction to plant & equipment, chemicals, dosing systems, filtration, heating, BMS, PMS, backwashing & safe work procedures
  • Contractor management procedures, including high risk work
  • Facility-specific water quality risk management plan
  • Facility-specific maintenance plan
  • Contamination procedures
  • Reporting procedures
  • Microbiological testing
  • Emergency planning and response arrangements
  • Risk management policy framework and procedures

In-service Training

Aquatic Technical Operators should undertake minimum annual in-service training to ensure currency of skills and knowledge pertaining to the management of pool water quality, and staff and user safety. Content may include information on the following:

  • Updates to plant and equipment
  • Updates to WHS management systems
  • Updates to water quality risk management plans
  • Updates to contractor management
  • Safe chemical storage & handling, including management of gases (if applicable)
  • Safe manual handling
  • Updates to contamination procedures
  • Updates to reporting procedures

Health and fitness requirements

An Aquatic Technical Operator should be in good health and physical fitness for the specific duties they are required to undertake in their role.

An annual health and fitness check or self-declaration may be undertaken to ensure that Aquatic Technical Operators are fit and healthy for duty.

REFERENCES
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