Practice Note No. 15 - Water Safety - Division of Local Government ...

Øthe Australian Beach Safety and Management Program. This program, established in 1990, is a jointSurf Life Saving Australia and University of Sydney initiative based at Surf Life Saving NSW. Thepublication mentioned above, Beaches of the New South Wales Coast, was produced as part of thisprogram. To complement the publication, a computer disk to enable local councils determine the levelof staffing and the equipment appropriate for beaches is also available from Surf Life Saving NSW(see Section 11 Further Resources for contact details). The disk is available free of charge with thepurchase of the Beaches of the New South Wales Coast publicationCouncils may find The Royal Life Saving Society Australia publication, Safety in Swimming Pools –Guidelines for Safe Pool Operation NSW useful in incorporating public swimming pools into their riskmanagement program (see Section 11 Further Resources for contact details).The implementation of any risk management or other program concerned with water safety, should be monitoredto ensure that the program remains appropriate and effective. Monitoring should be regular and ongoing, and theprogram revised, if necessary. The council remains responsible for the effective implementation of any riskmanagement program regardless of whom council has delegated the life saving function to.5. TRAINING OF WATER SAFETY PERSONNELRegardless of whom the life saving function is delegated to, it is the council’s responsibility to ensure thatthose carrying out the function have the life saving skills necessary to adequately address the risks associatedwith the characteristics of the public swimming pools, beaches, and other waterways under council’s control(see Section 4 A Risk Management Approach to Water Safety).Practice Note 15: Water SafetyThe Practice Note sets out recommended minimum standards. This does not preclude councils from adoptinghigher standards if these are considered appropriate. Indeed, because of the characteristics of their publicswimming pools and/or beaches, many councils have adopted higher standards. For further informationabout the recommended minimum and higher standards of water safety training, it is suggested that councilscontact the Aquatic and Recreation Institute or The Royal Life Saving Society Australia in the case ofswimming pools; and the Australian Professional Ocean Lifeguard Association, Surf Life Saving NSW orThe Royal Life Saving Society Australia in relation to beaches (see Section 11 Further Resources for contactdetails). Contact details for other organisations mentioned in sections 5.1 and 5.2 below are also providedin Section 11 Further Resources.Councils should be committed to the ongoing training of water safety personnel. Training certificates onlyremain current for a short period of time as skills need to be practised continually. Consequently, councils shouldensure that personnel are provided with frequent opportunities, for example monthly, to practise their skills.Separate standards are set out below for public swimming pools and beaches because staff require somewhatdifferent qualifications.6