29/08/2026
🏊 OPERATING A NON-LIFEGUARDED SWIMMING POOL? 🏊♀️
The Second Edition of ING02 – Guidance for Managing Safety in Non-Lifeguarded Swimming Pools was published in June 2026.
For hotels, health clubs, residential developments, schools, holiday accommodation and other operators choosing to run a pool without constant lifeguard supervision, this is an important document to be familiar with.
Importantly, operating without lifeguards shouldn’t simply be a historic operational decision because “that’s how we’ve always run the pool.”
The starting point remains a suitable and sufficient, site-specific risk assessment.
ING02 reinforces a number of areas operators should now be reviewing:
🏊♂️ Lone swimming
Where lone swimming is permitted, operators need to consider the additional risk specifically and implement effective control measures.
Simply putting up a sign advising people not to swim alone may not, by itself, represent an adequate control.
⛑️Medical conditions and additional support
Operators should consider how users can identify or declare medical conditions or support requirements that could affect their ability to use the pool safely.
That may require consideration of booking processes, membership information, signage, induction arrangements and how staff respond when additional support is identified.
📋 Pool checks and surveillance
Non-lifeguarded does not mean unsupervised or unchecked.
ING02 provides a framework for periodic checks, with the appropriate frequency determined through risk assessment. Operators should be able to demonstrate what is being checked, who is responsible, how it is recorded and why the selected frequency is appropriate.
🆘 Emergency response
If there isn’t a lifeguard continuously watching the water, how quickly would somebody recognise that a swimmer was in difficulty?
And once identified:
➡️ Who responds?
➡️ Are they immediately available?
➡️ Are they competent to perform a rescue?
➡️ Can they remove a casualty from the water?
➡️ Are they trained in CPR and AED use?
➡️ Have those arrangements actually been tested through realistic emergency drills?
💧Pool design still matters
Depth, water area, visibility, glare, blind spots, access arrangements, user profile and the ability to see the pool bottom all influence whether operating without lifeguards can be justified.
Particular consideration should be given to pools exceeding 1.35m depth, as this moves into swimmer-area territory under BS EN 15288 and increases the level of risk that needs to be addressed.
📵 Technology isn’t automatically the answer
CCTV, drowning-detection systems and other technology can provide valuable additional controls, but installing technology does not automatically remove the need for appropriate supervision or competent emergency responders.
Any system needs to form part of the wider risk assessment, PSOP and Emergency Action Plan — including arrangements for what happens when the technology fails.
❓The key question isn’t simply: “Do we need a lifeguard?”
It’s:
“Can we demonstrate, through a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, that our alternative arrangements provide an appropriate level of protection for the people using this particular pool?”
That decision should take into account; HSG179, BS EN 15288-1 & 2 and the current industry guidance, rather than relying on assumptions based on pool type or historic practice.
At The Training Group, we can help operators with:
✅ Pool safety audits and risk assessments
✅ PSOP (NOP & EAP) development, review & re-write
✅ Non-lifeguarded pool assessments
✅ Lifeguard and emergency-response arrangements
✅ Pool plant and safety consultancy
✅ Staff training and competency assessment
✅ Compliance reviews
If you operate a hotel, health club, residential, school or other non-lifeguarded pool and haven’t reviewed your arrangements against the 2026 guidance, now is a good time to do so.
Get in touch with us so we can help 👇🏼
📧 [email protected]
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