IAKS member Aura Holohan Group, managing and maintaining nine leisure centres throughout Ireland, kindly provides the company‘s „Guidance for public swimming pools and fitness facilities“.
This document addresses risk management issues in respect of the facilities and how they are operated. It is drafted as a living document, employing a consultative approach with the leading experts in health and safety, engineering and facility management and facility operations to aid in the process of developing a strategy to resume operation of our leisure facilities. It sets out an approach to re-opening procedures of fitness clubs in a way that protects the health and safety of staff and customers, in so far as is practicable. The document is aimed at comprehensively covering hygiene and safety measures when the facilities reopen. This draft may not cover all scenarios and each site should consider their own unique circumstances. Additional measures will be included throughout the consultation process and in light of experience as the effectiveness of the new procedures are being monitored.
The assessment of risk has been developed with the specific aim of objectively identifying new hazards for customers and staff arising from the Covid-19 pandemic; evaluating the risks and the effectiveness of various controls to remove or mitigate those risks, with a view to determining whether the swimming pools, fitness gyms and studios can be opened safely.
