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Ohio Laws and Rules
(A) Any person with an obvious infectious wound shall not be permitted by the licensee to use a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool. No person who is observed passing feces, urine, or blood into a pool or spa shall be permitted to use the pool or spa. Any person who has been refused entry to or removed from a pool or spa under this paragraph because of an infectious wound may be granted entry upon presentation of a written statement from a physician that the condition is not infectious.
(B) Lifeguards shall be provided by the licensee of a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool in accordance with one of the following
(1) The licensee shall comply with the following table:
Number of lifeguards required
Pool or spa surface area (square feet)
Number of 1- 2000- 4000- 6000- 8000- 10,000
Bathers 1999 3999 5999 7999 9999 or more
1-50 0 1 1 2 2 2
51-150 1 2 2 2-3 3-4 3-4
151 or 1 2 3 4 4-5 4-5
*
more
As used in this rule, “bather” means an individual swimming, diving, or bathing in a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool. For the purposes of this paragraph and paragraph (E) of this rule, pool or spa surface area shall be calculated based upon the portion of the pool or spa that is available for use by patrons. The licensee of a pool or spa shall use a method approved by the licensor to make a portion of the pool or spa unavailable for use; or
(2) The licensee shall contract with an entity approved by the director to provide administration of an approved lifeguard program.
(C) Special requirements for lifeguards and attendants.
(1) A public swimming pool or special use pool with any slide, which is more than ten feet above the surface of the water, shall have a lifeguard stationed with a clear view and rapid access to any landing area for the slide. If the top of the slide is twenty-five or more feet above the water surface, the lifeguard shall be in addition to any lifeguards required by paragraph (B) of this rule. A dispatch procedure with a dispatching attendant shall be used for all flume, drop, or speed slides to establish spacing between riders in the landing area or while still on the slide. The dispatching attendant shall remain in continual visual or verbal contact with the lifeguard responsible for the landing area.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this rule, a zero depth or other uniquely designed pool or section of a pool, except access ramps less than six feet in width, with water depth that gradually increases from zero inches to greater than eighteen inches shall be under the observation of at least one lifeguard at all times.
(3) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this rule, any pool with diving boards shall have a lifeguard on duty at all times the board or boards are in use.
(4) A public swimming pool or special use pool with one or more recreational water slides shall have a lifeguard or attendant present in the vicinity of the slide or slides to supervise the use of the slide or slides.
(D) Lifeguards at a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool shall:
(1) Be capable swimmers;
(2) Be certified validly and currently by one of the following entities as having completed the specified training successfully:
(a) “American Red Cross” – “Lifeguard Training”;
(b) “YMCA” – “YMCA lifeguard”;
(c) “Boy Scouts of America” – “BSA, Lifeguard” (within the previous three years) or “Aquatic Instructor, BSA” (within the previous three years);
(d) “Ellis and Associates” – “National Pool and Waterpark Lifeguard Training”; or
(e) Any other person, agency, or organization whose training the licensor determines is comparable to the training specified in paragraphs (D)(2)(a) to (D)(2)(d) of this rule;
(3) Possess current valid certification in infant, child and adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from one of the following entities:
(a) “American Red Cross” – CPR for the Professional Rescuer” or successor courses offered by the “American Red Cross”;
(b) “American Heart Association” – Health Care Provider (infant, child and adult);
(c) National Safety Council Course; or
(d) Any other person, agency, or organization whose training the licensor determines is comparable to the training specified in paragraphs (D)(3)(a) and (D)(3)(b) of this rule;
(4) Possess current valid certification from one of the following entities as having completed one of the specified courses successfully:
(a) “American Red Cross” – community First Aid”, or successor courses offered by the “American Red Cross”;
(b) Ohio department of public safety, division of emergency medical services – “Emergency Medical Technician – Basic”; or
(c) Any other person, agency or organization whose training the licensor determines is comparable to the training specified in paragraphs (D)(4)(a) and (D)(4)(b) of this rule;
(5) Be prepared to enter the water at any time while on duty;
(6) Be responsible only for the safety of bathers and individuals on the deck area adjoining the pool or spa and shall not engage in swimmer instruction or coaching while on duty; and
(7) Be similarly attired and readily identifiable by bathers and other lifeguards;
(8) While on duty, have on their person a rescue tube and have a CPR pocket mask at their chair.
(E) Lifeguard chairs. Lifeguard chairs shall be elevated and shall be located in such a manner as to provide a clear, unobstructed view of the pool bottom. The licensee of a public swimming pool or special use pool shall provide lifeguard chairs in accordance with the following table:
Pool Surface Area Minimum Number of
in Square Feet Lifeguard Chairs
2000-4000 1
4001-6000 2
6001-9000 3
9001-12000 4
For pools with a surface area greater than twelve thousand square feet, the licensee shall provide one additional lifeguard chair for each ten thousand square feet or portion thereof above twelve thousand. No lifeguard chairs are required for pools with less than two thousand square feet of pool surface area.
(F) The licensee of each public swimming pool other than a wading pool or spa and the licensee of each special use pool shall provide at least one nontelescopic reach pole twelve feet long with a shepherd’s crook for the pool. For pools without lifeguards, the licensee shall provide a United States coast guard approved Type IV personal flotation device (ring buoy, throw bag, or equivalent throwing device) with one-quarter inch diameter line not less than thirty feet or more than sixty feet in length. For pools that are required to have lifeguards the licensee shall provide at least one rescue tube and CPR pocket mask with one way valve for each lifeguard. Safety equipment shall be readily visible from the pool and be easily accessible.
(G) The licensee of a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool shall provide first aid equipment, including a first aid kid, in an accessible location. The first aid kid shall include at least unused disposable gloves and a sufficient supply of materials to stop bleeding and to clean or cover minor cuts and abrasions.
(H) All public swimming pools or special use pools shall have at least one back or spine board. At public swimming pools and special use pools required to have lifeguards these boards shall be equipped with straps and head immobilizers. Complexes of pools that are enclosed within a common perimeter fence or barrier may share a back or spine board.
(I) A telephone shall be available within five hundred feet of each public swimming pool, public spa, and special use pool with a posted list of emergency numbers. The licensee shall ensure that the telephone is available at all times the pool or spa is open for use.
(J) The licensee shall ensure that all chemicals used for the operation of a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool shall be stored properly in clearly labeled containers. No chemicals which may present a hazard to the operation of the pool or spa or to its personnel or patrons, such as insecticides, solvents, strong oxidizers, and flammables, shall be stored or used in a way that could present such a hazard.
R.C. 119.032 review dates: 07/02/2008 and 07/01/2013
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 3749.02
Rule Amplifies: 3749.03, 3749.04, 3749.05
Prior Effective Dates: 1/1/1977, 1/1/91, 1/1/92, 1/1/94, 1/1/99