CDC: 80% of Public Pools Tested Were Cited for Health/Safety Violations

A new report released by the CDC (United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reveals that almost 80% of the public pools and hot tubs tested by the CDC (including those in Florida) had a number of health and other safety violations. This startling information is particularly relevant now, during the summer, when kids are home from school and people congregate at local pools to catch a break from the overwhelming heat of summertime in Florida. Recently, our personal injury lawyers at Aronberg & Aronberg wrote a blog about safety measures to be followed at private pools, but as this report from the CDC reminds us, public pools and hot tubs can be just as dangerous.

According to the report, data were collected from the five states with the most public pools and hot tubs: Arizona, California, Florida, New York and Texas. As our personal injury lawyers at Aronberg & Aronberg know, specifically, CDC researchers analyzed information on 84,187 routine inspections of 48,632 “public aquatic venues,” which include pools, hot tubs, water playgrounds and other locations where people swim in so-called “treated water.” Among the findings were: 1) most inspections of the pools/hot tubs/water playgrounds (roughly 80%) identified at least one violation; 2) 1 in 8 resulted in immediate closure because of a serious health and safety violations; 3) 1 in 5 “kiddie” (wading) pools were closed – the highest proportion of closures among all inspected venues. The most common violations, as our personal injury lawyers know, reported in the CDC’s investigation related to improper levels of pH (15%), safety equipment (13%), and disinfectant concentration (12%).

These findings serve as a good reminder that just because something is “public” doesn’t mean that the government has spent a significant amount of time or money ensuring its safety. Always be careful in the water, and always be mindful of the sanitary concerns associated with going into pools, hot tubs, etc. You can do your part by contributing to the safety of public pools by remembering to keep your child out of the public pool if they are sick and to stay out of the water if you have any sort of open wound. Further, as our personal injury lawyers know, you can help protect yourself by remembering to shower both before and after entering the pool to make sure that you a) don’t bring any bacteria, etc. into the pool and b) rid your body of any unsanitary elements which you might have come into contact with in the pool.

While you certainly assume some sort of risk by using a public facility, if you become infected with a disease or sustain an injury from use of a public facility, like a public pool, because the facility was negligently maintained or otherwise improperly kept, you might very well have a claim against the company or pool owner which operates and is responsible for the facility.

If you have any questions about public health issues related to a personal injury claim, or if you or someone you know has been injured due to the negligence or wrongdoing of another, please contact our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers at Aronberg & Aronberg by calling 561-266-9191 or by e-mailing us at daronberg@build.simple.biz. Please get in touch to schedule a free consultation. We look forward to assisting you!

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