Water play is fun, but how do you ensure 'safety'?

Seongbuk, Songpa, Yongsan, and Other Water Parks Open Simultaneously
Shallow Water Safety Accidents Occur Every Year Without Fail

With the summer vacation and school break, local governments are opening free water play areas one after another. The photo shows the Yulhyeon Park Children's Water Play Area in Gangnam-gu, opening for the first time in four years.

With the peak summer vacation season underway, several districts in Seoul are simultaneously opening free water play facilities this weekend. As this is the first summer vacation and school break since the COVID-19 endemic (periodic outbreak of infectious diseases), large crowds are expected at the event venues prepared by each district office.

Particular attention must be paid to safety accidents, big or small, especially since the main users are infants and young children. Past cases have shown that even a small mistake during the festive vacation season can lead to irreversible casualties.

Increasing safety personnel and limiting capacity... Ensuring safety

The Seoul districts organizing the events are focusing on safety management by increasing the number of safety personnel compared to previous years and limiting the number of entrants. Seongbuk-gu, which transformed the playground of Seongbuk Elementary School into a giant water park (opening on the 29th), plans to deploy a total of about 40 water safety specialists at three locations: the temporary water play facility at the Uicheon Multipurpose Plaza and the vacant lot in front of Gireum 1-dong 7 Complex.

At the three locations where the 'Seongbuk Cultural Vacance' event will take place, a ‘Pre-Event On-Site Safety Inspection Resolution Meeting’ will be held the day before opening to raise safety awareness. All three locations have also subscribed to liability insurance for the event. A Seongbuk-gu official stated, “We plan to operate survival swimming education for children in a play-based experience format together with lifeguards to raise awareness of water play safety and guide children to enjoy water play safely.”

Songpa-gu, opening the 3,250㎡ ‘Haha Hoho Olympic Water Playground’ at the Peace Plaza in Olympic Park for the first time this year on the 29th, will limit the maximum instantaneous capacity to 500 people. Qualified water rescue safety personnel will be stationed at all times, with 8 on weekdays and 14 to 20 on weekends.

Yongsan-gu, opening free water playgrounds at Hyochang Park and Eungbong Park on the 28th, will assign 15 operational staff per water playground, including safety managers and nursing assistants. The water in the playgrounds will be replaced and disinfected daily, and simple water quality tests will be conducted frequently. To maintain order and water quality, the simultaneous user capacity will be limited to 130 at Hyochang Park and 120 at Eungbong Park. On the 26th, the district mayor personally visited the water playgrounds to inspect the facilities.

Preparation is in full swing for the opening of the 'Haha Hoho Olympic Water Playground' set up at the Peace Plaza in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu.

Need to establish procedures for safety facility inspections and tests

Since accidents at events organized by local governments can cause significant social impact and shock among citizens, safety must be addressed from multiple angles.

Song Chang-young, a disaster safety expert and professor in the Department of Architecture at Gwangju University, advises that both facility operators and users need to exercise caution regarding local government water play events, and that there should be a manual for handling accidents when they occur.

Professor Song said, “It is necessary to establish procedures not only for safety managers who are always on site but also for regular facility inspections and safety equipment checks,” adding, “Additional safety measures such as strongly recommending or mandating life jacket use for all users should also be considered.”

From the user perspective, he explained, “Continuous monitoring is needed to prevent dangerous play in or around the water, especially when large crowds gather, requiring extra caution.”

Professor Song added, “In case of an accident, it is essential to immediately inform water safety personnel or managers. Safety personnel should be trained and educated to respond appropriately in emergencies, and in serious cases, there should be a manual to promptly contact emergency services such as 119.”