Happy National Water Safety Month! May is one of our team’s favorite months for many reasons, but the number one reason is because summer is rapidly approaching! This usually means that outdoor pools, splash pads, and waterparks are starting to open; however, this year looks a bit different due to safety concerns surrounding COVID-19. As states and communities begin to slowly reopen parks and facilities, we want to ensure that everyone remembers how to stay safe around water. We also want to give operators and aquatics supervisors ways to improve safety at their facilities. Throughout this month, we’ll be publishing blogs and articles on our website and social media to raise awareness for water safety while also suggesting potential ways to update facilities to improve guest experience.
This week, the focus is on safety messaging and how to provide guests with the confidence to enjoy your amenities safely. Safety messaging is present at facilities in many forms such as posted signs and rules, depth markers, no-diving symbols, and underwater contrast strips to show depth changes on stairs and pool bottoms. In light of COVID-19, it is likely that new types of signage for line queues encouraging social distancing at waterparks, similar to those found at grocery stores, will be required for safer re-openings. We anticipate that pools may also need to indicate which swim lanes are open or closed for use as a measure to safely distance visitors. If you’re a pool operator or designer, you know that, regardless of the circumstances, proper messaging in primary contact zones is crucial for a positive guest experience and to help reduce liability for facilities.
One of the largest pain points we’ve noticed in messaging regards depth markers and no-diving symbols. Traditional markers are typically either painted or coated, as well as often made out of slippery ceramic tiles. Painted or coated markers can fade or wear down over time. Ceramic tiles can crack or chip with regular wear. Instances of engraved messaging can also be prone to collection of dirt and debris. Unfortunately these issues can all obscure safety messaging, preventing it from having its intended effect of keeping guests safe. Depth markers made from these methods often need to be replaced or repaired fairly regularly.
Fading safety messaging that was painted.
Engraved safety messaging obscured by wear over time.
A contrast in textures (and traction) between broomed concrete and smooth ceramic depth marker tiles.
It is also commonly the case that depth markers are made from a completely different material than the surfacing that surrounds them. While broomed concrete and other textured surfaces can provide a certain level of slip-resistance, ceramic tiles have the potential to create a slippery situation. The difference in materials can also look odd if a surface such as pour-in-place is used since safety markers cannot be seamlessly integrated into the deck and may be overlooked entirely.
To address these pain points, starting several years ago, Life Floor developed depth markers, no-diving symbols, and other prominent methods of safety messaging that are all made out of our slip-resistant tile materials and uphold the same level of detail and quality found in the rest of our products. With precision cutting, we have been able to achieve extremely fine details that mimic traditional markers, but can also seamlessly integrate into any Life Floor surface. Since they are custom cut with lettering that goes the entire depth of the tile, any messaging created with Life Floor will last the full lifetime of our product. Because lettering is cut into our markers, rather than painted or coated on the surface, it won’t fade from traffic or chemical exposure over time. It will likewise remain legible even after prolonged UV exposure due to Life Floor’s built-in UV Resistance. All of these factors ensure that clarity of messaging will remain prominent.
Life Floor depth marker and safety messaging.
Life Floor depth marker technical detail.
Life Floor also offers fully customizable options to accommodate specific attractions or match facility theming while also staying within code parameters. As new protocols are developed as a result of COVID-19, they will likely require new types of signage. Our team is ready to help facilities adapt to any updated requirements and to continue to conform to existing best practices.
We encourage you to take a look at your facility and note all of the safety messaging present to ensure your guests are getting all of the right information at key access points. Enthusiasm to revisit aquatic attractions will be high and we look forward to supporting our customers as they aim to make re-openings as safe as possible.
Still curious about Life Floor’s depth markers and safety messaging? Visit our page here or feel free to contact us via email at solutions@lifefloor.com or call us at 612-567-2813.