Health and Safety

DSW Health and Safety

The DSW Committee takes responsibility for ensuring that club members have all the information they need to stay safe while they swim.

Please note that:

  • Wellington City Council Pools (including Kilbirnie Pool) are attended by life guards who can be called on in an emergency;
  • There are no lifeguards at the Aquadome: this means that the coach or a nominated member of the club (in an uncoached session) will stay on the poolside to watch for swimmers in difficulty or other risks to health and safety.   All swimmers should be aware that they are otherwise swimming at their own risk.

A member of the DSW committee is nominated to be the Health and Safety Coordinator – this is usually the club Captain.

All swimmers should complete our Health and Safety Declaration

Health and Safety during pool sessions
  • Follow all instructions of our Coach, and the pool Life Guards.
  • Take a moment to work out where the emergency exits are before you need them.
  • Follow the pool’s own safety rules: don’t run on the poolside; put bags in cubbyholes on the poolside, or on the seats by the windows; no running dives; no glassware at the poolside; no diving at the 1.2m end of Kilbirnie Pool.
  • Warm up slowly – if you’re late, take a moment to do a few laps at slower speed before joining in more strenuous exercises.  Drink water if you need it (there are water fountains at poolside).
  • Keep well left in the swimming lane, and allow others to overtake you.   Take care when overtaking another swimmer – look out to ensure that you’re not going to collide with someone else.
  • The Coach will keep an eye on you during the session, but you should always feel confident that you are OK in the water – well enough to swim, and coping with the exercises.   Ask for help if you need it, and get out if you’re feeling unwell, too tired, or unsafe.
  • Don’t swim if you have any of the following: vomiting, diarrhoea, infectious skin rashes, open wounds or ear infections.
  • At Kilbirnie Pool the Life Guards are the place to go for all emergency assistance: they are all strong swimmers, trained in life-saving rescue techniques and First Aid.
  • At the Aquadome, where no lifeguards are on duty
    • The coach will act as First Responder (see below), or a member of the club will do so during an uncoached session
    • No swimmer may swim alone with no First Responder on the pool side
    • Swimmers need to be aware that they swim at their own risk
    • If a serious medical emergency (including drowning) occurs, the First Responder or other club members will call 111
  • Alert the Coach or Life Guards if:
    • you notice someone in trouble – in or out of the water.
      Only help if you feel confident about doing so, and can do so without endangering yourself – and call for help no matter what you do;
    • you notice a hazard: cracked tiles, unsecured or fraying lane ropes, objects in the pool;
    • you notice something else is wrong (e.g. a fire).
  • If we are in a booked lane there needs to be someone watching us at all times – called the First Responder.  The role of the First Responder is just to alert a life guard if help is needed  or to raise the alarm if no life guard is available (not to administer first aid or jump in or anything).
    • In a regular coached session, the Coach is our First Responder.
    • If we are in a booked lane, but we don’t have a coach present, a swimmer may have to sit out and be the First Responder, or it could a spectator who has come to watch us.
    • If we are not in a booked lane – just in a regular public lane at a Wellington City Council pool  attended by life guards – we have no formal requirement to have a First Responder.
Kilbirnie Pool emergency procedures
  • During an earthquake Club members should exit the pool if they can, and take shelter under tables, chairs, or under strong structures, and remain inside the building until the shaking has stopped, and pool staff indicate it is safe to leave.  If you are unable to leave the pool, remain in the pool and hold on to the lane ropes.
  • In the event of a fire, bomb threat or other emergency – leave the pool by the nearest exit.  Life Guards will direct everyone.
    • From the main pool, the nearest exit is at the diving pool end – go out to the car park.
    • From the changing rooms, reception, sauna/spa area – go out the main entrance towards the playing fields.
    • From the spectators’ area, exit the area at either end at high level, and only then come down the stairs.   Do not use the single staircase to the poolside.
    • In the event of a bomb threat communicate by word of mouth only, not by phone.
  • If we need to exit straight from the pool, the staff have emergency blankets at the exits to keep swimmers warm.   Do not go back to the changing rooms.
  • Kilbirnie is a low lying area which is at risk of tsunamis.   If there is a tsunami risk following an earthquake, exit the pool onto Kilbirnie Crescent, cross the road to Tully St, and up to the tennis courts on Crawford Rd at Kilbirnie Tennis Club.
Aquadome emergency procedures
  • During an earthquake Club members should exit the pool if they can, and take shelter under tables, chairs, doorways or under strong structures, and remain inside the building until the shaking has stopped, and the Coach indicates it is safe to leave
  • In the event of a fire, bomb threat or other emergency – leave the pool by the nearest exit.  Do not go back to the changing rooms.

  • Notify Steve Hind, the pool manager: Email: contact@cityswim.co.nz; Phone: 0224799229

DSW Risk Management Policy

Home | Swim with us | Events | About DSW | Links | Contact us

Advertisement