Oasis Aquatic Centre received its highest combined score during its recent Royal Life Saving Aquatic Facility Safety Assessment since joining the program.
As part of Council's commitment to water safety, the Oasis Aquatic Centre takes part in the comprehensive auditing process undertaken Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA) each year.
In the most recent audit, the facility achieved an Overall Safety rating of 99 per cent, along with a 99 per cent 5 Star Water Safety Partner Accreditation rating that requires aquatic facilities to pass a rigorous 40-point aquatic safety checklist pertaining to best practice standards and legislative requirements.
Manager - Wagga Leisure Marc Geppert is thrilled with the result, saying the Oasis team should be proud of its achievement.
"This is the highest combined result the Oasis Aquatic Centre has achieved since joining this program, and it reflects the professional approach to risk management and service provision at the Oasis," Mr Geppert said.
"Last year, we received a 99 per cent 5 Star Water Safety and Overall Safety rating of 96 per cent. The Oasis team has put a lot of work in over the past 12 months to improve that rating.
"We are particularly proud of the high scores associated with the Oasis Swim School which demonstrate that we consistently meet the required benchmarks from a curriculum and safety perspective.
"There is a mountain of work that goes into planning for our programs, ensuring that all of our program facilitators are equipped with the skills and knowledge to not only deliver a fun and engaging program, but to ensure high standards regarding water safety."
The Oasis Aquatic Centre ensures all lifeguard and swim school instructors are up to date with the necessary qualifications.
It also conducts a hugely successful in-house proficiency program which ensures staff are equipped with real-life problem-solving skills and site-specific knowledge.
A spokesperson from the RLSSA stated "The Oasis Aquatic Centre scores in the 5-star system are definitely on the higher end compared with other centres.
"You have consistently performed well across the key areas required and that level of consistency is something other centres struggle to maintain."
The Aquatic Facility Safety Assessment is driven from Royal Live Saving's Guidelines for Safe Pool Operation and includes general operations, first aid, emergency procedures, record keeping, facility design, supervision, Health and Safety systems, plant room operations and chemicals, programming and specific aquatic areas such as diving towers.
"We will continuing working hard to maintain this high standard in providing a safe environment for our patrons," Mr Geppert said.
Located in our CBD, the Oasis is a major regional aquatic facility that attracts state and regional competitions and draws visitors to Wagga Wagga each year.
