A community pool offers a welcome relief from the heat of the summer. However, for those who operate them, they also impose a number of obligations. New regulations set-up by the California Department of Health makes it necessary to ensure these pools are properly maintained to protect the health of those who use it.
For an HOA in Santa Clarita, this means there are a number of things they must do when summer time rolls around if they want their pool to be open to their community association members. Some of the new tasks that should be added to their pool maintenance and service checklist can be found here.
Daily Testing
One of the biggest changes that have been seen requires HOAs that have 25, or more, separate interests to test the spa and pool water’s chemical composition and its temperature daily. Also, a daily log of this testing must be kept.
For HOAs that have less than 25 separate interests, they must perform and document twice weekly and at intervals that are no more than four days apart.
Safety Equipment
Another notable change to the pool maintenance is to ensure the proper first aid and safety equipment is installed and maintained. For example, some of the equipment that must be present includes a 12 inch (minimum) rescue pole and a 17 inch (exterior diameter) life ring with a throw rope that has a diameter of at least 3/16 of an inch.
Health Restrictions
In the past, the regulations prohibited anyone suffering from diarrhea from using the community pool. The new regulations now state that pool access has to be denied to anyone, including the pool monitors, who have symptoms including ear or nasal discharge, who are wearing bandages, who have a cold sore or a cough.
Enclosures Around the Pool: Doors and Gates
The last requirement that has recently been added is the need to have at least one door or gate into the pool enclosure to allow for egress, without the use of a key, in the case of an emergency. If all of the gates and doors allow for a keyless exit, then no special signs have to be put up. Otherwise, any keyless exit has to have a sign that lets users know it is the “Emergency Exit” and the lettering must be at least four inches tall.
National Property Management Group has extensive experience managing HOAs. Our professional staff is knowledgeable about HOA management in Southern California, serving Los Angeles, Santa Clarita, Valencia, and the surrounding areas. We can manage your HOA properties for you so you have less to stress about. We provide innovative property management solutions that outshine our competitors. There is no property too large or too small that we cannot service.
National Property Management Group
25115 Avenue Stanford A300
Valencia, CA 91355
(661) 295-5966
www.npmgonline.com