NEWS
The Isle Of Wight Proves A Perfect Site!
This 28-year old reinforced concrete pool was crying out for some TLC so Isle of Wight wet leisure specialists, Solent Hot Tubs & Swimming Pools (part of Island Mechanical Services) called on the services of the original builder, pool consultant Roy Eccott who recommended Certikin’s Infinite site liner.
Based in Ryde, Westbrook is run by the Christian charity, Urban Saints (formerly known as Crusaders) and provides a safe and fun environment for young people to form lasting relationships, express their faith and have the tools to learn more about it. Westbrook’s tired looking 60ft by 25ft pool had long since seen better days and Roy and his son-in-law and pool builder, Mike Turner, felt that the quickest and easiest solution was to call in Certikin’s on-site lining team. The installation took some seven days to complete and more than surpassed Roy’s and Mike’s expectations. “We were impressed with the quality and versatility of the Infinite liner and the expertise of the installers,” says Roy. “We have worked with Certikin for many years and the company’s back-up service and attention to detail is unparalleled so we had no hesitation in my choice. The thing we really like about this method is that if there are any cracks in the pool, the liner expands and then shrinks providing a solid and water-tight layer. This is the first site lining that the company has done on the Isle of Wight and such was its success, we have got another one about to start in Bainbridge.” Certikin North General Manager, Neil Stephenson says: “The project featured purpose made skimmer face plates, manufactured on the CNC machines at Certikin in Witney and a brand new solar cover. This is a great example of Certikin being able to cover almost every need in such a project. The ability to form job specific HDPE clamp
plates for pool fittings, if required, means that old pools, which were never designed as liner pools and where the skimmers are literally built into the pool wall, can undergo a renovation with far less disruption and cost than the alternatives would carry.” Such is the popularity for site lining that Certikin now offers a nationwide service from its South Central base and the company are currently aiming to introduce more teams to cope with demand.
Island Mechanical Services Ltd 01983 401800
www.islandmechanicalservices.co.uk
Certikin North 0113 393 4545
www.certikin.co.uk
New Research Reveals Lack Of Floor Compliance In Wet Leisure Environments
A study of hundreds of leisure facilities by Bonasystems, a leading provider of specialist floor care products and services, has revealed that four-fifths (79%) of ‘wet leisure’ floor surfaces were not up to Health & Safety Executive (HSE) standards used to prevent slips and trips. This leaves their owners risking fines of up to 100% of annual profits for health and safety breaches, not to mention claim costs of tens of thousands of pounds.
Bonasystems tested 379 floors alongside swimming pools, in showers and in changing rooms over the last two years. It used the pendulum test, the method used by HSE in prosecution cases, which is designed to replicate a pedestrian heel strike at the point when most slips occur. Testing took place in various types of leisure facility, including those owned and outsourced by local authorities, privately owned leisure centres, Sporta trust facilities and hotels. Despite the fact that slips and trips are a major cause of accidents in the leisure sector, the results reveal a worrying lack of compliance. HSE guidance says that in foreseeably wet environments (e.g. pool sides, showers, changing rooms) a wet pendulum test value (PTV) of 36 or above is required (this reduces the slip risk to 1 in 1 million versus a risk of 1 in 20 if there is a wet PTV of 24). When Bonasystems carried out the pendulum test in wet conditions, 79% of floors did not achieve 36 PTV.
The study also revealed that floor specification is not the major 12 October 2015 SPN
cause of non-compliance – in fact poor maintenance is the biggest problem. Bonasystems’ testers found that once the floors were cleaned correctly, 75% would (in wet conditions) achieve 36 PTV or above. It concludes that nearly 75% of floors are fit for purpose, but will only meet HSE standards if they are maintained properly. Christian Harris, Commercial Director of Bonasystems, commented: “This is a very serious issue for leisure centre and hotel operators. Whilst the average cost of a slip and trip claim is some £14,000, in reality we can expect the overall cost to be much higher on account of recent changes to the sentencing guidelines on fines for health and safety breaches. In the worst case scenario, these allow for fines of up to 100% of a company’s annual profits, not to mention the personal cost to the claimant and the reputational damage involved. “The irony is that whilst companies often think they are saving money on their cleaning and maintenance costs, they are actually storing up worse trouble for themselves ahead. If the UK’s 4,000 leisure centres invested up to an extra £50 each a month on proper cleaning regimes, they stand a far better chance of avoiding a claim which could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
Bonasystems 01442 927100
www.bonasystems.com
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
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