Latest News

Back to Latest News back

 

Feature gives current guidance on aquatic inflatables standard

Feature gives current guidance on aquatic inflatables standard
July 4, 2012

With Standards Australia (SA) set to release an interim Standard for waterborne/aquatic inflatables, a recent feature in Australasian Leisure Management is providing aquatic and waterpark operators and inflatable suppliers with guidance on the development of the new regulations.

The two-part feature 'Fun and Safe on the Water'/ 'Standards Australia to launch guidance for aquatic inflatables' cover the development of the new Standard by SA's ME51 committee in response to plans for the national harmonisation of health and safety legislation by Australian state governments.

The interim Standard will address management and supervision issues following recommendations made in 2010 by the Queensland Coroner at the coronial inquest into the drowning of a nine-year-old boy at Rockhampton's The Rock Pool Water Park in January 2007.

Currently, manufacturers, suppliers and operators get their advice on the use of waterborne/aquatic inflatables from various sources: the North American ASTM standard; the European standard EN 15649: Floating leisure articles for use on and in the water; the Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA)

Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations (GSPO) and manufacturer's own instructions

Explaining the GSPO, RLSSA National Manager - Aquatic Industry Services Matt Griffiths states "the GSPO includes a specific guideline regarding use of pool inflatables in the Supervision section. Guideline SU13 Inflatable Play Equipment is an essential resource for any pool operator who uses inflatable play equipment within their centre and provides guidance on safety considerations when operating an inflatable. It should be noted that SU13 cannot be read in isolation as a number of other Guidelines will apply including SU1 Bather Supervision, GO7 Risk Management and a range of others referred to throughout.

"Most importantly, SU13 requires operators to undertake a detailed risk assessment of the pool inflatable and its use and provides a list of the most common concerns. While this list gives the most common areas of concern, it is not exhaustive and operators should extend their risk assessment to consider all areas of the facility while the inflatable is in use. It is not uncommon for operators to fail to consider the affect an inflatable will have on supervision in other areas of the facility as amusements draw so much attention, particularly if used as part of a special event or have been heavily promoted."

Meanwhile in Western Australia, Royal Life Saving Society Australia (Western Australia) on behalf of LIWA Aquatics, has undertaken a project to review safety issues arising from the use of inflatable devices at public swimming pools.

The project gathered information from 10 aquatic centres that currently use inflatable devices.

The features Fun and Safe on the Water and Standards Australia to launch guidance for aquatic inflatables were published in the May/June 2012 issue of Australasian Leisure Management.

Click here to check out suppliers of waterborne/aquatic inflatables in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Suppliers Directory.

2nd May 2012 - STANDARDS AUSTRALIA DEVELOPS GUIDANCE FOR AQUATIC INFLATABLES


Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.

 

supplier directory

The Complete Guide to Leisure Industry Products & Services.

See the directory see all

AAC

Welcome to AAC – makers of the world’s best wristbands, lanyards, tickets, tokens and full-service print solutions. We are Australia’s premier global manufacturer and supplier of…

read more

Access / Marketing / Safety / Ticketing

 
 

Fun Wheels Pty Ltd

Fun Wheels Pty Ltd are the premium dealer in Australasia for the Dutch company BERG’s commercial and domestic products. Our flagship product is their revolutionary pedal go-kart – the…

read more

Attractions / Tourism / Venues

 
 

PerfectGym

Perfect Gym Solutions is a software as a service (SaaS) solution purpose-built to service the fitness industry, with over 1000 clients servicing over two million gym members across 40 countries making…

read more

Access / Fitness / Marketing / Recreation / Technology

 
 

Jonas Leisure

Jonas Software operates over 110 independently managed software brands around the world, providing them with the strategic guidance and financial security required to be leaders in their respective…

read more

Aquatics / Billing / Fitness / Recreation / Sport

 
 

SportEng

ABOUT SPORTENG specialises in the Planning, Design and Construction inspection of Fields of Play for all sports. Blending engineering with the specialist knowledge gained from working closely with…

read more

Consultants / Recreation / Sport / Surfaces / Venues

 
 

Anti Wave Global

Anti Wave Global is the original suppliers of top performance swim, aquatic sports, leisure and pool programming equipment. Founded in 1971, Anti Wave Global is proud of its long and tested…

read more

Aquatics / Play / Sport

 
 

Hadley/Series Australia Pty Ltd

Hadley Australia and Series Australia Pty Ltd are the leading quality theatre chair manufacturers in the southern hemisphere. The businesses work closely with architects, interior designers and…

read more

Arts / Culture / Design / Entertainment / Venues

 
 

HIB Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd

HIB Insurance Brokers - Experts in Leisure and Amusement Insurance With over 20 years specialising in the Amusement and Leisure industries, we have the experience to understand your operations and…

read more

Attractions / Entertainment / Insurance / Recreation / Safety

 
 
 
 

get listed with our suppliers directory

Get your business noticed in our targeted directory. Viewed by 10,000 industry professionals per week!

list your business