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Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre’s proactive Lifeguard Intervention Program has been recognised by Royal Life Saving Society - Australia with its receipt of the award for Excellence in Supervision at the National Aquatic Industry Safety Awards.

The program at the Sydney pool requires lifeguards to record every observation and interaction on a daily basis, including identifying numbers of vulnerable swimmers, discussions with parents about the facility’s Keep Watch policy, or reporting health and safety risks.

The recorded data is collated and reviewed by management to ensure the team is working efficiently and effectively, and to identify how they can continue to improve health and safety initiatives at the facility.

Scott Vanderheyden, Belgravia Leisure’s City of Sydney Operations Manager, said the program has been critical to ensure the safety of their community, advising “our busy facility is located in the heart of Sydney and is used by a wide range of people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. The majority of patrons are non-English speaking and are not familiar with swimming.

“By identifying potential risks, lifeguards are more proactive in resolving issues before they arise. In the first year of the program there were 3,994 records of a lifeguard approaching a parent to educate them on supervision and water safety. In the same timeframe, no rescues required emergency services.”

Royal Life Saving’s National Aquatic Industry Safety Awards are are an initiative of the National Aquatic Industry Safety Committee to acknowledge the achievements of aquatic facilities and individuals towards improving health and safety outcomes.

Acknowledging that winning the Excellence in Supervision award is a great achievement for their hard working team, Vanderheyden added “winning this award is great recognition of the dedicated team and the partnership with the City of Sydney, resulting in a high quality and safe facility for the community.

“This is also great acknowledgement for our team of lifeguards to know that they are all having a positive impact on the safety of our community, and doing something that is leading the industry in aquatic supervision.”

Craig Roberts, Royal Life Saving’s National Manager Operations states “there are some great initiatives which are creating safer aquatic environments for children and adults across the country.

"The awards were established to recognise these efforts and inspire others to review and further develop their own health and safety policies and procedures.”

Images of Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre’s proactive Lifeguard Intervention Program courtesy of Royal Life Saving Society - Australia.

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