by Andrew DAVIES
andrewd@isb.ac.th
Dear ISB Community,
I am writing to provide an update of the review process following the tragedy in our 50m pool on 5th April.
- In the week of 18-22 April, a consultant from Clearpath EPM spent four days on campus interviewing administrators, coaches, lifeguards, aquatics and athletics staff, security guards, nurses, and others. CCTV footage was reviewed as well as a variety of policies, procedures, and handbooks.
- A report with a number of specific recommendations related to enhancing safety from Clearpath EPM was received by ISB on 30th April.
- Two Chevron safety experts met with school administrators on 3rd May to conduct a root cause analysis protocol.
- We are now developing an Aquatics Safety Action Plan based on the two reviews.
- A committee of the Board of Trustees will review the Aquatics Safety Action Plan on 27th May.
- Key findings and action steps will be shared with the ISB community at the end of May. We will also arrange a meeting for interested community members to further discuss the key findings action action steps.
Before the review process began, we have taken a number of immediate steps:
Staffing/Safety
- A new position, Head Lifeguard, has been added with primary responsibility to oversee the training, supervision, and management of the lifeguard team.
- The number of lifeguards will increase from 3 to 5, including the Head Lifeguard. This will enable us to rotate the lifeguards around the pools with scheduled breaks and to have two guards on deck at the 50 meter pool.
- The Head Lifeguard (under the direction of the Aquatics Director) will conduct regular training of our lifeguards and other aquatics staff.
- We are separating pool maintenance duties from lifeguarding to avoid any conflict of responsibilities and are also increasing the level of staffing and training in this area.
- A new position, Swimming Pool Operator, has been created to manage the bulk of the cleaning and maintenance responsibilities of the aquatics facilities.
- Two lifeguards have been assigned to duty at the 25m pool while all swim classes/lessons/practices are ongoing.
- The head coach on deck is a Lifeguard Instructor Trainer, and all swim coaches are trained in aquatic rescues/safety, CPR, First Aid and AED.
Facility
- The 50 meter pool has been closed for the remainder of the school year.
- The pool has been drained, with cleaning & maintenance scheduled for the summer taking place earlier than scheduled.
- Fencing and gate improvements scheduled for the summer will also be brought forward.
- Additional signage is being made to reinforce water safety protocols for swimmers and instructors.
Education & Training
- We will be training staff and students about the risks associated with swimming under water and this will be incorporated into our PE Curriculum and swim coaching effective immediately.
- ISB will undertake a vigorous educational campaign to heighten awareness of shallow water blackout.
- ISB will engage specific pool safety experts to come on campus early in the next school year to work with all of our aquatics related staff.
We thank you for your understanding and patience as we complete this important process.
If any ISB community member has any questions or would like to offer suggestions, please contact any of us listed below.
Sincerely,
Dr. Andrew Davies
Head of School
ISB Contact Details
Dr. Andrew Davies
Head of School
andrewd@isb.ac.th
081 851 6277
Usa Somboon
Headmistress
usomboon@isb.ac.th
Philip Bradley
HS Principal
philipb@isb.ac.th
Corry Day
Aquatics Director
corryd@isb.ac.th
Derrick Quinet
Athletic Director
derrickq@isb.ac.th
Rick Nelson
Safety Manager
rickn@isb.ac.th