There do not appear to be any federal, state, city or OSHA guidelines for establishing maximum duration an employee should spend in the water.
In the absence of this, ATRI has made the following recommendations:
Immersion time for practitioners depends on the situation and the individual. Water temperature, and water and air chemistry, as well as personal medical status are factors determining immersion time. Current recommendation is: Maximum of 4 continuous hours per day in an enclosed area.
Although I agree to the general principle of reducing hours in the water, instead, I would advocate that individuals do not consistently spend more than 20-25 hours per week in the pool.
For instance,
- You might work M, W, F 100% in the pool. If you do, I suggest an hour for lunch and additional paperwork time be set aside. Your total in-pool time might be closer to 6-7 hours than a true 8 hour day.
- Or, you might work 4-5 afternoons per week in the pool (I'm here to tell you that gets old fast!). Typically, 1/2 day shifts in the water work better as 2-3x/week options, not daily fare.
- Or you might work a 30-40 hour work week in the pool (to fill in for an absent colleague) very occasionally. And your next work week would be light on pool time.
Time in water should depend on three factors:
1. The desire of the employee. You should never "make" someone work in the water, period. If your employee is willing to work in the water, count yourself blessed (If the employee is unreasonable, you may need a different employee, but that is another matter).
2. The needs of the employer. Instead of forcing people to work longer hours in the water, the employer should consider hiring new aquatic staff as part-timers.
Instead of hiring a full-time PT for the pool and then trying to find creative ways to allow that person out-of-pool time, hire a .6-.8 full-time equivalent. That way the person can come to work in sweats and a swimsuit -- and leave the same way. They can set their own schedule. They have the flexibility to be 100% aquatic and yet, you do not have to worry about over exposure to immersion and chemicals.
3. The water quality of the pool. If a facility does not invest in creating a pool with good water quality, the end result is the loss of employees. The employees are the first to notice problems. Facilities must listen when staff complains... or soon there will be no staff around to complain.
More on this for Aquatic Resources Network members at www.aquaticnet.com
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