Brent Update Nov08

Vale Farm Update November 2008

Also on this page Notes from 5.11.08 on Chlorine Incident Dummy Logic Vanity Units

Dangerous Chemicals Closed Down Pool Reproduced in full apart from photos.

Wembley Observer 20.11.08 by Tom Lawrence

A popular swimming pool which was closed down because of dangerously high chlorine readings did not have proper chemical monitoring procedures in place, the Observer can reveal. Staff at Vale Farm Sports Centre, in Wembley, were not properly trained and used out of date tablets to test for chlorine, internal documents reveal. The findings were made by an environmental health officer who investigated the public baths after they we closed for two days in April for having as much as 50 times the recommend amount of chlorine in the water.

Emails between the council’s environmental health department ad Leisure Connections - the contractor who runs the centre on behalf of the local authority - also revealed ho record sheets used for chlorine monitoring were “not fit for purpose”, how the pools management systems lack robustness and that no checks we made on the quality of testing staff were carrying out.

Regular pool user Paul Burns, who obtained the emails through a Freedom of Information request, claims both Leisure Connection a Brent Council’s sports department have displayed neglect and incompetence. Mr Burns, from West Hill, Wembley, said: “I have been using the pool for around 16 years and must have complained between 50 and 100 times about the cleanliness of the pool. There was constantly debris on the bottom and people would get red eyes, but staff never did anything about it.”

When the pool was closed on April 24 Mr Burns decided to find out exactly why, but when the sports centre failed to give a satisfactory answer he took matters into his own hands and requested the emails. Before the closure Leisure Connection was served with a Health Improvement Notice for having exceedingly high levels of pollution and chemicals in the both the main and junior pools. And in the emails the environmental officer suggested that failure to respond to this notice contributed to the chlorine incident.

Mr Burns added: “Two serious incidents and numerous other failings prove that the council’s faith in Leisure Connection is ill founded and the sports department’s ability to select and monitor contractors is very doubtful.

Leisure Connection said it had taken on board all recommendations included in the health and safety report. They said, “The team at the Sports Centre are fully trained to manage health and safety in swimming pools, with regular on-going refresher training provided in line with all statutory requirements. Our water is also tested by an external company once a month to ensure the quality.”

Comments

The article suggests many reports of red eyes. I am aware of only a few people complaining about sore eyes after swimming at Vale Farm. The estimate of 50x too much chlorine is problematic. The testing equipment used after concern was raised is not designed for grossly high levels of chlorine.

I did not try to get information about the incident from LC as I do not expect them to own up. It took the Council long enough to produce the email from the EHO. As I have said before, more effort appears to goes into concealing LC's dire performance than dealing with the company's incompetence. As far as I am aware, LC have not been penalised for endangering users of the pool.

Turning to LC's response to the exposure, I have the following observations.

Where's the apology?
There is no denial that things went seriously wrong and nor does any explanation appear.
How did a company with so many swimming pool contracts get it so wrong? Where else might they be getting it wrong?
The present tense is used. One would hope that after a major failure, the team are now fully trained in water testing. But the management failures that allowed the lapses and the public at risk also need addressing.
Some would argue that the statutory requirements referred to are inadequate.
Independent testing existed before this fiasco and did nothing to prevent it. PB

Notes by PB 5.11.08 on Chlorine Issue

In April of this year both pools were closed following exceptionally high chlorine readings. Freedom of Information requests reveal that this incident and another one at around the same time, which resulted in a Heath Improvement Notice for unacceptable levels of solids in the pool water, were barely covered in the minutes between the Council and LC. Nor was the Council able to produce a comprehensive report that recorded what had happened on either occasion. Council knowledge of the events is shared between Leisure, Environmental Health and Health & Safety (HS&L). Good management requires that documentation, preferably in the form of a comprehensive report, is readily available to all officers who may need it at a future date so that facts and understanding do not disappear, should someone leave the Council or no longer be available.

The latest batch of documents forwarded by the council throws some light on what happened and what LC failed to do. It strongly suggests chaotic mismanagement. In particular, an email form an Environmental Health Officer to a Leisure Officer on April 29 reveals a catalogue of worrying laxities.

Note that all of the failings by LC took place after being told by Brent Council in November of 2007 to pull their socks up at Vale Farm and despite this sports centre passing Quest Quality Assurance, a Sports Council initiative that in theory should prevent dangerous lapses like these.

The failures add up to neglect and incompetence both by the Council and LC. Both organisations are fortunate that no one sustained an injury as a jury would be entitled to be outraged by the mismanagement.

The EHO wrote:
“Basically, (LC) management systems are not robust enough. If the above issues are addressed we can demonstrate that we have taken all reasonable steps to stop a recurrence. We also need to address our own (Council) procedures…”

“The monitoring equipment: It was clear that the tablets used for testing (chlorine levels) were not correct. Both Environment Health & HS&L noted that some practices employed by Vale Farm staff were not correct. I suggested that they rewrite procedures for monitoring and include step by step guide for the equipment. A manager should be responsible for ensuring these procedures are reviewed and updated as and when required. I was informed that staff were trained but there is no audit programme of how staff are performing the tasks. This should address any bad practice. LC has agreed to draw up a staff audit which should be conducted at least twice a year. The Monitoring Officer needs to ensure he sees the findings of these audits and what correction measures were put in place if procedures were not adhered to. Any tablets used must have an expiry date. The manager should take responsibility to put this date on himself if necessary."

“The adult pool pumps: I was informed that the adult pool pumps have been replaced recently. I was also informed that sodium hypochlorite was added and the pump continued to add it overnight. I was also informed that the pump was not left on accidentally. Therefore, I raised the point if this was the case has anyone taken the responsibility and informed the people who installed the pump as to why this happened. I was astonished to hear no they had not. I asked them what if it happened again and that they need to go back to the company and find out what happened and undertake some testing. LC has agreed to do this but it should have been picked up by our Sports team.”

“The Junior pool pumps: These pumps have not been replaced. Therefore this pool should be scrutinised even more closely. Again the same issues raised for the adult pool apply to this pool.”

“Maintenance: Apparently, maintenance visits for these pumps are undertaken on a monthly basis. What happens to these reports was my next question. again blank faces. It seems no one apart from the head office sees these reports. I stated the Manager at Vale Farm monitors these reports and ensures that at these visits tests are undertaken and the reports are reviewed. (sic) These reports should also be seen by our sports team.”

“Monitoring sheets: The sheets used by Vale Farm are not fit for purpose. All hand written notes at the bottom should be part of the monitoring sheet. Crucially it does not have any readings from the plant room. These readings should also be undertaken. It became apparent that this is not common practice. Therefore the monitoring sheets need revising to ensure that these readings are taken.”

“Observations: In general the results don’t just rise sharply. The gradual rise should have been observed. Because of some of the above failures this did not take place. At this point I stated that for all I know these figures could just be made up. This might be a strong possibility. Hence, if results continue to creep up after 2, closer monitoring should take place, manger should be alerted as well as our sports team. The alarm should be raised by Leisure Connection and inform the local authority with plan of action should levels exceed 2.5. It would be prudent to keep HS&L informed as well.”

“Improvement Notice: It is clear that the Improvement Notice (re excess solids in pool) was forwarded to Head Office whose response was to appeal the notice and inform Vale Farm to undertake monitoring. At ground level LC had read the covering letter but no one had actually read the notice to see what it entailed. It covered chemicals and pollution (all result of over chlorination and attempts to neutralise and compensate). Sports Team should have asked for actions taken and evidence of these actions. There is no evidence that this was robustly followed up. Hence the pump issues etc. were not picked up."

Dummy Logic

Last Saturday morning half of the main pool was closed from opening at 8am till at least 8.45. Only one lane was available and this was designated for fast swimmers. When I asked at 8.15 why part of the pool was closed I was told it was reserved for lifeguard testing. About five minutes later swimmers were told they could use the reserved part of the pool until the testing began. The fast swimmers only sign was moved and the result was great confusion, with swimmers of all abilities in every part of the pool. Three areas were separated by lane ropes but nothing suggested going up the pool on one side and down the other. By the time I left the only sign of lifeguard testing was an orange dummy, which probably had about as much intelligence as the organisers of this unecesasary fiasco. I did not see any advance warning of half the pool being closed. I also ask why the testing could not take place in earlier in the morning, say between six and eight, so the public are no inconvenienced?

Vanity Units

A fourth male wetside vanity unit, or at least a new top, has been installed and the taps, at least for the time being, no longer wobble. The new top has no join, which is were the latest water penetration and swelling of the chipboard beneath the plastic started. However, it is the same material as the last one and therefore I predict it is only a matter time before it becomes warped and unsightly, like the other three cheap and nasty fittings.