KEY industry bodies have launched a pool plant chemical incident register in a bid to help the sector improve standards of chemical handling and tackle the dramatic rise in accidents and incidents.
Chemical incidents in the UK have risen dramatically over the last few years, particularly since covid, with the three year average between 2021-2023 up by 62 per cent.
The surge has prompted the formation of the Pool Chemical Forum, hosted by the CBA (Chemical Business Association), which includes a cross sectional group of prominent industry bodies including the Institute of Swimming (IOS), Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association (SPATA), Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG), Royal Life Saving Society UK, Brenntag UK and ukactive.
The Pool Chemical Forum aims to gather meaningful information about incidents in commercial and domestic settings, which will be independently and anonymously collated and shared with the pool industry approximately once a quarter. The Forum hopes this will improve best practices and training within the sector.
CBA CEO Tim Doggett said: “Health and safety is at the heart of what we do at the CBA. The launch of the Pool Chemical Forum and its incident register will help identify the root cause of accidents, allowing the sharing of lessons to be learnt, enabling preventative measures and furthermore, establishing guidelines to ensure the safety of professionals.
“This is made possible by bringing together major leaders in the sector, encouraging and inspiring improvement, collaboration and knowledge transfer.”