Hand dosing chlorine to swimming pools – the method used at the Winsford Lifestyle Centre on the day ten children were hospitalised – is ‘rarely justified’, guidelines reveal.
On Tuesday, March 10, ten children and one adult were taken to Leighton Hospital after suffering minor respiratory symptoms while at the Winsford Lifestyle Centre – which is run by Brio Leisure.
The Guardian revealed that hand dosing – the method of manually applying chlorine to a swimming pool – was carried out on the day of the incident due to a fault with the automatic dosing system.
In the UK, the pool industry follows guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and The Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG).
Managing Health and safety in Swimming Pools, published by the HSE, states: “Hand dosing is not recommended.
“It is rarely justified and only after all relevant health and safety issues have been settled.”
Swimming Pool Water, published by PWTAG, similarly states: “Hand dosing is rarely justified in non-domestic pools.”
Shortly after the incident at the Winsford Lifestyle Centre, a spokesman for Cheshire West and Chester Council said: “Hand dosing with diluted chlorine is an accepted method of rectifying chlorine levels when the normal injection system malfunctions.”
Allen Wilson, a representative from the Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers (ISPE), the UK’s only institute dedicated solely to swimming pools, said hand dosing should only be used as a last resort.
Mr Wilson said: “Hand dosing should only be done in an emergency, and only after specific guidelines have been written detailing how long this shall be carried out for, what the person mixing will be wearing etc.
“From the council spokesperson’s statement it could indicate that the pool operators have been doing this on a regular basis, and this should not be the case.”
An investigation to find out the cause of the incident, led by Mike Dix, CWAC’s senior manager of culture and environment, is expected to be completed by the end of April.
A CWAC spokesman said: “We’re well aware of the guidelines, but in this point in time, as the enquiry is still ongoing we cannot comment any further.
“However we are sure as we can be that no guidelines were breached.
“The investigation is expected to be completed by the end of April.”
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