By nature, the areas around swimming pools are wet places where slips and trips can easily happen. That is why you need the right products, such as slip-resistant specialist mats, to minimise the risk of mishaps and ensure excess water drains away easily.
Summer is an especially popular time for going swimming. The UK doesn’t have many outdoor pools and unauthorised wild swimming can be hazardous, but hot weather and the approaching school holidays are both popular reasons for visiting public pools.
If you run a pool or leisure centre with a pool, having the right mats is vital to ensure the area is as safe as possible. Such mats need to have particular qualities:
- Non-slip to avoid accidents to pool users or to staff
- Perforated to enable water to drain away easily
- Anti-microbial to prevent germs and infections from spreading
- Hard-wearing to deal with heavy footfall
Why Do Slips And Trips Pose A Legal Risk For Swimming Pools?
Data on leisure centre safety highlights just how important safety issues are.
- Swimming pools as a whole are safer than other water-based settings, such as lakes and rivers that someone might choose to swim in, as pools accounted for just 1.3 per cent of fatal water accidents in 2023.
- However, pool surrounds are a different matter. According to the Online CPD Academy, slips and trips in pool surrounds, changing rooms and shower areas represent the largest public liability claim against leisure centre operators
- Compensation claims can be based on general damages for pain and suffering, consequent costs such as loss of earnings and rehab costs, and future care and support costs in the event of long-term injury.
The legal basis for claims that may be made and the responsibility of leisure centre operators are centred on the Occupiers Liability Act 1957.
What Legislation Requires Employers To Ensure Floors Are Safer?
In addition, it is worth noting that an addition to the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act exists in the form of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which place a particular responsibility on employers to make floors safer. This includes:
- Removing obstacles from floors
- Maintaining floors in good condition
- Cleaning spills promptly
- Displaying appropriate signage to alert staff and visitors alike to risks
It is worth bearing in mind that your staff will also be at risk of slips and trips in wet areas around pools, notwithstanding that they may have better grips on their footwear than bare feet can offer, so this legislation is very important.
At the same time, while it is not practical to mop up all water right away (although staff will seek to keep the changing room floors in particular as clean and dry as possible), the right mats can help water to drain away and to prevent slips.
This is where specialist mats are so important, ensuring that you do everything possible to meet the 1992 regulations and your other safety responsibilities.
A mat that meets such requirements is essential if you are to keep your wet areas around a pool as safe as possible, fulfilling your legal obligations, minimising accidents and cutting your risk of facing public liability claims.