Pool View
Drowning detection systems
We use the Pool View drowning detection system at Harrogate and Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centres.
Drowning detection systems are only installed when doing so enhances the safety of our guests. When the size, depth, layout or visibility of some pools mean that a detection system would not give additional safety benefits, it is not installed.
Pool View uses cameras to monitor the pool and is designed to detect a lack of movement or irregular movement. Pool View continuously scans the water to detect any signs that swimmers are getting into difficulty. If it detects those signs, the system alerts the lifeguards to support them in providing safe and timely assistance. Pool View is designed as a tool to support the work of our lifeguards and provides enhanced visibility under the water to enable early intervention. It is by no means a replacement of lifeguards on duty - this is determined by the pool activities taking place, zone visibility and the number of guests present.
Video monitoring is necessary to ensure the system is effective. Recent updates to the Royal Life Saving Society National Pool Lifeguard qualification and the Health and Safety Executive's publication 'Health and Safety in Swimming Pools (HSG179)', revised in February 2018, acknowledge that "cameras and computer aided surveillance systems may also be used to assist in pool supervision.
Who can view the footage?
The footage taken by Pool View is not accessible to anyone but the lifeguards on duty who can watch it in real time through a monitor installed on their pool-side chair. Access to these recordings by senior management is only in the case of an incident. Third parties can request the footage as part of an official investigation and must make this request via an official data request form with a proven legitimacy of interest - for example, the prevention or detection of a crime, the apprehension or prosecution of offenders or the assessment of health and safety. If the footage is viewed as part of an investigation, individuals who appear in the footage but are not part of the enquiry will have their identity protected.
How is the recorded data kept and stored?
Brimhams Active Ltd is the data controller and responsible for the images from the point of capture to the time of their deletion. The data collected is solely for the purpose of enhancing safety and is subject to strict data-protection laws. All data is collected and stored under the ‘legitimate interest’ basis in line with the General Data Protection Regulation and is stored for a maximum of eight days on site in a locked cabinet, after which it is automatically deleted.
Footage will only ever be stored for longer than the eight days if it documents an incident that requires investigation and will be stored on an encrypted hard drive in a secure safe and destroyed after the investigation. All data is located on a closed and segregated network, protected by firewalls and only accessible via a VPN which has three levels of password security. Each of our leisure centres also adds another individual level of password protection. This means that there are four layers of security in total.