Lawsuits related to swimming pools and aquatic facilities provide insight into safety risks that may not have otherwise been considered. Infant Swimming Resource follows such lawsuits to continually update their safety protocols. A recent lawsuit against an LA Fitness alleged Legionnaire's disease was contracted from an improperly maintained pool. Legionnaire's disease bacteria can spread in warm bodies of water without adequate chlorine levels. ISR instructors are required to check pool pH and environment at each lesson to ensure student safety.

1. ISR, Lawsuits, and Proper Care of the Pool Environment
Lawsuits. While some are obviously
outlandish and, in some cases, frivolous,
eliciting a collective eye-roll among rational
people, many lawsuits offer a window into
circumstances and sources of risk, put
another way, “dangers,” we may not have
considered, from sources we would have
otherwise thought safe.
As those lawsuits relate to swimming, and the aquatic environment, which is of chief concern to
us here at Infant Swimming Resource, we follow all such lawsuits alleging injury arising from an
aquatic environment such that we can continually revise our ISR Safety Protocols to make sure
our next ISR Lesson, after more than 8.5 Million, is our safest to date.
Recently, Infant Swimming Resource has become aware of several lawsuits filed against cities
and private aquatics facilities alike alleging illness, physical injury/trauma, and, in fact, death.
One such lawsuit ISR will be following closely was filed last month, March 2017, against a
prominent health club, LA Fitness, alleging an improperly maintained aquatic environment
resulting in the contraction of Legionnaire’s Disease, and in fact, shortly after the reported
contraction, the Nassau County Health Department shut the pool at the affected location.
Legionnaire’s disease, which is a type of atypical pneumonia, is spread by the bacteria
Legionella, which can be rampant in warm bodies of water without adequate levels of
disinfectants like chlorine. According to the Centers for Disease Control, each year, between
8,000-18,000 people in the United States are hospitalized with Legionnaire’s. Of particular
concern is the fact that Legionnaire’s1
can be readily spread by inhaling the steam or mist
emanating from improperly maintained hot tubs which are oftentimes adjacent to or, an

2. integrated part of, swimming pools, with a specific focus on indoor aquatic locations. While
your ISR Instructor will monitor the aquatic environment in which ISR Lessons are taking place,
we know as well as you do that your time with your family’s ISR Instructor is likely only a small
fraction of the cumulative time your family will spend in the water each year and beyond, which
is why it’s important for parents to know that safe pools and most notably in this regard, hot
tubs, should read free chlorine of 2-4ppm or 4-6pm for bromine, and in all cases, a pH between
7.2 and 7.8
Similarly, ISR is aware of several lawsuits alleging, or having alleged that an improperly cared for
pool was responsible for serious injury and even death. One such lawsuit lodged against Choice
Hotels International and The Quality Inn Wickliffe location, alleging, among other things that a
23 year old man drowned on account of a lack of proper pool water clarity giving the
misimpression about the depth of the pool. Similarly, the family of the victim, in their wrongful
death lawsuit allege that locating the victim was significantly and grievously delayed due to the
lack of clarity, thusly: “The water clarity was so bad and deceptive to observers on the evening
of the Decedent’s death that his girlfriend, two family members, and several police officers
spent almost five hours searching the pool, pool area, and hotel repeatedly before an officer
noticed a faint shadow at the bottom of the pool that in fact was the 6’0,” 210 lb. body of
Reginald Moore.”
While, thankfully, none of these lawsuits even indirectly involve ISR or ISR students, the
publicity of these events oftentimes sees ISR Instructors and ISR Staff answering questions
about the safety measures we put in place, as a company, to ensure a safe pool environment.
While decidedly less scientific, a good rule of thumb is a straightforward and rational first step
towards evaluating a pool is a simple observation- if the condition of the pool gives you any
reservation whatsoever, refrain from using the facility, and instead find a manager or lifeguard
and request to see the results of what should be a daily water test...again, that test should read
free chlorine of 2-4ppm or 4-6pm for bromine, and in all cases, a pH between 7.2 and 7.8, but
even if the results are in line with those parameters, if something doesn’t look or smell right,
don’t risk it!

3. In the case of the ISR lesson, each ISR Instructor is required to abide by several protocols
designed to assess and mitigate risks both in and out of the water prior to each day’s lesson,
which include a check of the pool’s pH and general observation of the pool environment to
ensure the safety of each ISR student. To standardize that level of care, each ISR Instructor is
required to undergo an annual recertification class not unlike the Continuing Medical Education
or “CME” program required of medical doctors to remain licensed. This annual ISR Re-
Certification ensures safety protocols are top-of-mind for all ISR Instructors and that each ISR
Instructor is up to date on the most recent data from sources like the Centers for Disease
Control.
At ISR, we take pride in having provided the safest and most effective survival swimming
lessons to more than 300,000 students worldwide, while implementing safety protocols to
ensure our Instructors and students operate in a safe environment.
1
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/pdf/swimming/resources/legionella-factsheet.pdf