Current through Bulletin 2024-06, March 15, 2024
(1) The manager shall consult with the local
health officer before opening a water slide or a splash pool.
(2) The manager shall ensure that each
waterslide or splash pool meets any applicable requirement of this rule in
addition to this section.
(3) The
manager shall ensure that each waterslide flume:
(a) within an enclosed waterslide is designed
to prevent accumulation of hazardous concentrations of toxic chemical
fumes;
(b) curve, turn, or tunnel
is designed so that body contact with the flume or tunnel does not present an
injury hazard and that the waterslide flume is banked to keep the slider's body
safely inside the flume;
(c) is
free of hazards including joints, mechanical attachments, separations,
splinters, holes, cracks, or abrasive characteristics;
(d) wall thickness is thick enough so that
the continuous and combined action of hydrostatic, dynamic, and static loads
and normal environmental deterioration will not cause structural failures that
could result in injury; and
(e)
exit provides a safe entry into a splash pool that includes design features for
safe entry such as a water backup, and a deceleration distance adequate to
reduce the slider's exit velocity to a safe speed.
(4) The local health officer may approve
other methods for safe exiting from the waterslide flume if the safe exiting
method is demonstrated to the local health officer.
(5) The manager shall ensure that
multiple-flume waterslides have parallel exits or are constructed so that the
projected path of their centerlines does not intersect within less than eight
feet beyond the point of forward momentum of the heaviest bather permitted by
the engineered design.
(6) The
manager shall ensure that repairs or patchwork maintains originally designed
levels of safety and structural integrity and that repairs or patchwork is
performed in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines.
(7) The manager shall ensure that each flume
clearance has a distance:
(a) of at least four
feet provided between the side of a waterslide flume exit and a splash pool
sidewall;
(b) of at least six feet
between the nearest sides of adjacent waterslide flume exits;
(c) of at least 20 feet between a waterslide
flume exit and the opposite end of the splash pool, excluding steps;
(d) of at least six feet between the side of
the vehicle flume exit and the pool sidewall;
(e) of at least eight feet between the
nearest sides of adjacent vehicle slide flume exits; and
(f) between a vehicle slide flume exit and
the opposite end of the splash pool, excluding steps, that is long enough to
provide clear, unobstructed travel for at least eight feet beyond the point of
forward momentum of the heaviest bather permitted by the engineered
design.
(8) The manager
shall ensure that the operating depth of a waterslide splash pool at the end of
a horizontally oriented slide flume exit is:
(a) a minimum of three feet deep;
(b) the minimum depth is maintained for a
distance of at least 20 horizontal feet from the slide flume exit;
and
(c) if the waterslide splash
pool extends more than 20 horizontal feet from the slide flume exit, the floor
slope may have a constant slope from deep to shallow that is not steeper than a
one to ten ratio.
(9) The
local health officer may require the depth of a waterslide splash pool at the
end of a horizontally oriented waterslide flume to be deeper if the pool design
incorporates special features that may increase risks to bathers as determined
by the local health officer.
(10)
The manager shall ensure that the operating water depth of a vehicle slide
splash pool at the flume exit is
(a) a
minimum of three feet six inches;
(b) the minimum depth is maintained to the
point that forward travel of the vehicle ends; and
(c) from the point at which forward travel
ends, the floor may have a constant slope from deep to shallow at a ratio that
is not steeper than a one to ten ratio.
(11) The local health officer may exempt
minimum depth and distance requirements for a splash pool and approve a special
exit system if the designer can demonstrate to the local health officer that a
safe exit from the flume into the splash pool can be assured.
(12) The manager shall ensure that;
(a) a walkway, ramp, or set of stairs with a
minimum width of four feet is provided between the splash pool deck and the top
of the waterslide flume;
(b) if
stairs are provided between the splash pool deck and the top of the water slide
flume, the stairs;
(i) have uniform stair
risers that meet building code requirements;
(ii) are constructed of slip-resistant
material; and
(iii) drain standing
water away from the walkway;
(c) waterslide vehicles, including toboggans,
sleds, inflatable tubes, and mats are:
(i)
designed and manufactured of materials that do not present an injury hazard;
and
(ii) constructed of a smooth,
easily cleanable, durable material that can withstand the continuous and
combined action of hydrostatic, dynamic, and static loads and natural
environmental deterioration;
(d) each splash pool overflow reservoir:
(i) has sufficient volume to contain at least
two minutes of flow from the splash pool overflow and maintain a constant water
depth in the splash pool; and
(ii)
circulates water through the circulation system when flume supply service pumps
are turned off;
(e) flume
pumps and motors are sized as specified by the flume manufacturer, and meet
NSF/ANSI 50-2015, which is incorporated by reference;
(f) the splash pool and the splash pool
overflow reservoir is designed to prevent bather entrapment as water flows from
the splash pool to the overflow reservoir;
(g) perimeter overflow gutter systems meet
the requirements of Section
R392-302-22, except that gutter
systems are not required directly under slide flumes or along the weirs that
separate splash pools and splash pool overflow reservoirs; and
(h) pump reservoir areas are accessible for
cleaning and maintenance.
(13) The manager shall post a sign that meets
the requirements of a two-inch safety sign as described in Subsection
R392-302-32(1)
that:
(a) includes the waterslide
manufacturer's recommendations;
(b)
the heading of the waterslide sign says, "Slide Instructions, Warnings, and
Requirements";
(c) the body of the
waterslide sign includes the following waterslide riding instructions:
(i) proper riding position;
(ii) expected rider conduct;
(iii) dispatch procedures;
(iv) exiting procedures; and
(v) that riders shall obey slide attendant or
lifeguard instructions; and
(d) the body of the waterslide sign includes
the following warnings:
(i) slide
characteristics such as speed;
(ii)
depth of water in splash zone; and
(iii) requirements that include riders are
free of medical conditions identified by the manufacturer such as pregnancy,
heart conditions, back conditions, or musculoskeletal conditions.
