The Facility Maintenance and Operation Module of the Model Aquatic Health Code was released in draft form for public comment on October 31.  The comment period will be open through December 29, and there is a specific comment procedure and format you should follow (see our post on the MAHC comment process).

This post is a summary of the module based on the PDF published for public review, and is not a replacement for your own review of the module.  But we thought a short version that describes the content and issues in the module would be helpful for those of you who don’t have time for a closer look, or would choose to spend your time on a different module.

An Abstract

The authors of the Facility Maintenance module supply an abstract that succinctly describes the content:

Aquatic facility operation and maintenance is a critical component of maintaining health and safety. Past outbreaks have commonly found operation and maintenance lapses to be critical contributors to disease outbreaks and injuries. The Facility Maintenance and Operation Module lays the foundation for operational improvement by containing requirements for:

1) Closure and reopening guidance for long and short term closures.

2) Comprehensive plans for preventive maintenance, equipment inventorying, and development of an operations manual to be maintained at the facility.

3) Reducing and mitigating excessive glare and reflection on the pool surface through design and adjustments to windows and lighting equipment.

4) Comprehensive daily records of pool operation & maintenance and of operational items inspected daily.

Summary of Content in Context

The Facility Maintenance module contains draft standards that would be part of sections 5 and 6 in the final MAHC.  The main sections include:

5.4:  Recreational Water Venue Operations and Facility Maintenance:  Closures and Reopenings; Preventive Maintenance Plan

5.6:  Indoor/Outdoor Environment:  Lighting; Electrical; Heating; Plumbing; Solid Waste; Decks; Aquatic Facility Maintenance

5.12:  Specific Venues – Special Requirements:  Water Slides; Wave Pools; Moveable Floors; Bulkheads; Spraygrounds; Wading Pools

6.4:  Facility Management:  Operations [recordkeeping]

The contents of each of these topics is somewhat detailed.  These standards address physical plant structure and maintenance, including documentation of these.

For example, these standards would require each venue to keep a written description of all equipment components of the physical plant, including information on the manufacturer and service dates, with operations manuals available for each piece of equipment.

There is extensive documentation and recordkeeping in this draft.  Venues would have to have a general operations manual covering all aspects of venue management, including chemical data, operation and maintenance instructions, fecal/vomit contamination response plan, and so forth.  In addition, operating records would be required at a detailed level for many procedures and events, and would have to be kept for a minimum of 3 years.

Some parts of these standards are very specific.  For example, electrical equipment requirements make many references to external codes, including the NEC, and cover a wide range of circumstances.  Other parts are quite broad:  “Required fencing, barriers, and gates shall be maintained at all times.”

In sum, there is a lot here.  Most of it will be familiar to venue operators, but remember:  it is being proposed as part of a code that might be adopted by a public health agency near you!

What do You Think?

We are very interested in your comments about this module, or about the MAHC in general.  Leave us a note.