Case Study: Solving Pool Safety Challenges
Posted by Clarion Safety Systems | 20th Jul 2017
Safety signs are a critical part of keeping your swimmers safe and fulfilling your legal duty to warn. But, most signs in use today are inadequate. Text-only messages and long rule lists bury important information. To be an effective layer of protection, signs have to be seen and understood.
Here’s a recent story we’d like to share on how we helped one of our customers solve safety challenges at their pool:
Lifeguards for the City of Willoughby Parks and Recreation department were performing an excessive amount of “pull-outs” each year – where a swimmer had to be physically pulled from the pool. Management wanted to reduce these incidents and increase safety, especially in a particularly problematic section of the pool just beyond the kiddie features area.
The department introduced a four-point plan, which included life jackets, pool markers, swim lessons – and safety signage. For the signage component, Clarion developed a pool safety sign system using best practice graphic designs and repetition of messages to effectively communicate the most serious hazards present: “No Diving”, “Non-Swimmers Wear Lifejackets”, “No Long Breath Holding” and “Watch Your Children.” The strategy resulted in a 55% decrease in pull-outs as well as being honored with Aquatics International’s Best of Aquatics Award for Innovations in Safety. “The major reduction was due to encouraging parents to put lifejackets on non-swimmers, a challenge for a community that had been told ‘No Lifejackets Allowed’ for decades. Our new signs very quickly helped win over our patrons and achieve buy-in from our lifeguards,” management reports.
Do you have a safety challenge at your pool? We’re here to help. Contact us today or fill out our pool safety sign checklist.