From Spring until mid-June are the most-common dates for inaugurating new water leisure facilities. In this regard, tourist establishments such as hotels and campgrounds, municipal pools, and water park complexes want to open the new recreational facilities to their users, who have been waiting almost a year to enjoy them with the arrival of good weather.
Every inauguration, and especially success in its operation, involves a few preceding months of joint hard work by the technical teams of the establishment, along with professionals from supplier companies, including pool and water area construction firms, hydraulic system installation companies, as well as manufacturers of water games and slides.
However, even in cases where the construction of the new area has been proceeded perfectly, in many of our official inspection processes, we find certain deficiencies in the delivery of all the necessary and required technical documentation to the establishment by the supplier, who is obligated according to European regulations in this type of water leisure areas.
Operational safety in water parks: What documentation should the supplier or installer provide, according to regulations, prior to the inauguration of the facilities?
As indicated in the applicable European safety regulations – EN 1069:2017 (part 1 and 2), regarding water slides; and EN 17232:2021, regarding water games and parks, at the time of commissioning, the supplier and/or installer must provide the following documentation related to the installed equipment and construction components:
- Complete address of the manufacturer/supplier and qualification of the personnel involved in the installation of the equipment.
- Design documents related to safety.
- Certificates of manufacturing, materials, durability, and components.
- Construction plans and diagrams of the facilities.
- Operating instructions for the installed equipment and safety-related instructions.
- Inspection instructions and their timeframes.
- Maintenance instructions, detailing when to perform each task.
- Risk assessment considering the type of equipment/game equipment and user.
- Define appropriate technical signage along with recommendations for the user.
- Other important technical data and characteristics that may be crucial for the client.
Proper document management is fundamental and essential to successfully undergo an official inspection and certification process for the safety of a water park in an establishment. Therefore, it is essential that the next time you are involved in managing the development of a new water leisure facility—or if you are currently doing so—you consider these minimum documentary requirements that you should demand from the supplier or installer responsible for this purpose.
