A lifeguard died after arriving for her morning shift at a YMCA pool in North Carolina. Her coworkers found her unresponsive in the water and attempted CPR, but struggled to access lifesaving devices due to a locked door. At a water park in Indiana, 11 children experienced chlorine burns or breathing issues after the park opened without required inspections and had too much chlorine in the water. The Model Aquatic Health Code outlines guidelines for pool design, operation, maintenance and policies to improve safety.

1. Swimming Pool Safety

2. April 2017
• YMCA in Lincolnton, NC
• 21-year-old lifeguard Yesenia Jimenez Linares arrived
for work at 5:10am. A fellow staff member became
concerned after noticing the pool area was still locked.
• When her co-workers couldn't find her, called 911 to
report that she was missing. Nine minutes later, they
called back to say they had found her in the pool.
• Her co-workers performed CPR. There were lifesaving
devices at the YMCA, but employees struggled getting
to them.
• "Do you have a defibrillator and AED (automated
external defibrillator)?" the dispatcher asked. "We
have them, but they can't open the door," the caller
said.
• Once they were able to get the devices, they learned
they couldn't use them on her wet body. Paramedics
took Linares to the hospital, where she died.

3. July 2017 •A former swim coach in Texas has been
indicted in the drowning of a 13-year-old
girl during practice last year, authorities
said.
•Tracey Anne Boyd, 49, has been charged
with abandonment and endangering of a
child by criminal negligence
•Elisa Adelle Cerami, who swam with the
North Texas Nadalores Club, died hours
after being pulled from the water during
practice at the Carroll ISD Aquatics Center
in Southlake in June 2016.
•Boyd, according to the indictment,
allegedly failed to “watch or observe”
Cerami while she swam and failed to
ensure that the teen was supervised by
someone else.

4. June 2017
• Seven Peaks Water Park Duneland in
Porter, IN
• 11 children had either chlorine burns or
breathing problems after visiting the
water park.
• Seven Peaks did not have a water sample
tested before it opened or an inspection
by the health department. The park also
did not have paperwork to reflect that
employees were checking water samples.
• The water park opened on its own on
June 15 without going through required
inspections. The health department did
not even know the park had opened until
staff began receiving complaints.

5. June 2017
• “The demand chlorine feeder
apparently has been down for a
while. What they were trying to do
was manually chlorinate the system,
and when you do that you have no
way of knowing if you’re putting into
little or too much, and obviously they
got way too much,” Keith Letta, the
Porter County Health Department’s
administrator.
• Too little chlorine in the water can
foster the growth of bacteria, but too
much can cause chemical burns.

6. Pool Hazards
• Drowning: Drowning is a leading cause of
unintentional injury-related death for children
ages 1–14. Non-fatal drowning can cause brain
damage resulting in learning disabilities or
even permanent loss of basic functioning.
• Chemical injuries: Injuries linked to pool
chemicals accounted for almost 5,000
emergency department visits each year.
Almost half of the patients were under 18
years of age.
• Waterborne illness outbreaks: Outbreaks
associated with pools and aquatic facilities
have increased dramatically from an average
of 15 a year (1993–2002) to 34 (2003–2012). A
single outbreak can sicken thousands.

7. Pool Hazards
• Head injuries and broken bones:
These injuries commonly result from
rom incorrect usage of diving
boards, pool equipment, ladders, or
improper supervision of pool
patrons.
• Lacerations: Scrapes and cuts
caused by broken tiles, sharp objects
in the pool or surrounding area, and
poorly installed grates and filters.
• Slip and fall: Falls may be caused by
water on pool decks, walkways, and
in locker rooms.

8. Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC)
• The MAHC was created after a 2005 CDC-
sponsored national workshop that gathered
to address significant increases in disease
outbreaks at swimming pools.
• CDC was to oversee a national partnership to
create an open-access model guidance
document that helps local and state agencies
incorporate science-based practices into their
swimming pool codes and programs, without
having to "recreate the wheel" each time they
create or revise their pool codes.
• This effort was to be all-encompassing,
covering the spread of illness but also
including drowning and injury prevention.

9. Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC)
The MAHC calls for these steps to improve
aquatic safety:
• Design and Construction: Incorporating
safety features into swimming pools
and water parks before and as they are
built.
• Facility Operation and Maintenance:
Continuing to prioritize safety concerns
in the running and upkeep of aquatic
facilities.
• Policies and Management: Promoting
safe use of the swimming pool and
other equipment through facility rules
and procedures.

10. Pool Compliance
• Training: OSHA requires chemical handling and
bloodborne pathogen training for employees who are
handling pool chemicals.
• Eye Wash: The American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) and OSHA require commercial swimming pools
must have emergency eye wash stations.
• Accessibility: The American’s with Disabilities Act
requires public pools to be accessible for those with
certain disabilities.
• Anti-entrapment: The Virginia Graeme Baker (VGB)
Safety Act requires anti-entrapment devices to be
installed and maintained in commercial pools and
spas. VGB protects swimmers from becoming trapped
by the strong suction of pool drains.
• Lifesaving Devices: Automated external defibrillators
are required at pools in some parts of the country
and can save lives when emergencies occur.

11. Kids