In the last nine months there have been nine reported serious incidents at Minnesota swimming pools or water parks, where people became ill, were injured or died. (Read more about Minnesota swimming pool injuries and the deaths.) As a result, the Minnesota Department of Health is urging those who use swimming pools, including parents of young children, to protect their own health and safety when swimming:

• If the water is cloudy, do not go in the pool; report it to the pool operator.
• If you have been ill with diarrhea in the last two weeks, do not go in the pool.
• Do not allow children who have been ill with diarrhea or vomiting in the last two weeks to swim.
• Avoid swallowing pool water.
• Follow all other posted pool rules, which include bathing/showering before entering the pool.
• Do not drink and swim; people who are intoxicated should not be in the pool area.
• Keep an eye on your child at all times.
• Take your kids on frequent bathroom breaks.
  

“Swimming is good physical activity, and we want people to continue, but we need everyone to observe pool rules so that everyone can swim safely,” said John Linc Stine, director of environmental health for MDH.

In June of 2007, Abigail Taylor suffered serious injuries at the Minneapolis Golf Club pool in St. Louis Park that eventually led to her death. The six-year old was injured when she sat on an open drain in the wading pool; the heavy suction at the drain caused her intestinal tract to be partially removed.

Last summer, following the accident, Minnesota Department of Health issued a safety warning to licensed pool owners/operators in the state urging them to make sure drain covers were fitted and secured properly and to check them daily. In light of the serious risk that is posed to children, our lawyers suggest that parents ask pool managers if the pool drain covers are fitted and secured properly and when the pool drain covers were last checked.

More information on pool safety can be found at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/pools/poolincidents.html.

For questions regarding injury, death or illness resulting from a swimming pool incident, please contact a lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen.

Labels: Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota lawyer, swimming pool safety

In the last nine months there have been nine reported serious incidents at Minnesota swimming pools or water parks, where people became ill, were injured or died.

• June 2007: Abigail Taylor suffered serious injuries at the Minneapolis Golf Club (MGC) pool in St. Louis Park that eventually led to her death. The six-year old was injured when she sat on an open drain in the wading pool; the heavy suction at the drain caused her intestinal tract to be partially removed.
• July 2007: 20 cases of cryptosporidiosis diagnosed in people who swam at a public pool.
• September 2007: 58 cases of cryptosporidiosis diagnosed in people who visited a hotel water park.
• November 2007: Six cases of otitis exertna (“swimmers ear”) diagnosed in guests at a hotel likely due to inadequate chlorine levels in the pool and lack of managerial oversight.
• November 2007: Five cases of dermatitis, a skin infection, diagnosed in guests at a hotel likely due to inadequate chlorine levels in the pool and lack of managerial oversight.
• November-December 2007: 31 cases of cryptosporidiosis diagnosed in people who swam at a public pool.
• December 2007: Three people suffered chemical burns at a hotel pool due to improperly balanced pool chemistry and lack of managerial oversight.
• February 2008: A 17 year-old drowned in a hotel pool after heavy drinking.
• March 2008: Thirty-eight high school students and staff reported illness after a swimming pool pump was turned on while a class was in the pool area.
  

“The clear lesson from all of these incidents is that when proper operating procedures and pool safety rules are not followed, there can be serious consequences,” said John Linc Stine, director of environmental health for Minnesota Department of Heath.

“Proper pool operation and safe enjoyment of swimming pools requires a balance of proper physical conditions of a pool, including safety equipment, correct water chemistry, and observance of pool rules by patrons so that all swimmers are safe,” said Colleen Paulus, manager of the Minnesota Department of Health section that includes public swimming pool inspections and oversight.

If you have been injured in a Minnesota swimming pool, contact a lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen. We have a national reputation, and lawyers at our firm have been interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lawyers USA and other publications. Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Rich Ruohonen and Elliot Olsen have been named "Super Lawyers" by Law & Politics magazine. To contact a lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen, please call 1-888-377-8900 or submit our free case consultation form.

Posted April 2008.

Labels: Minnesota lawyers, swimming pool injuries

March 31, 2008 - Children are still being exposed to lead paint in older buildings. This exposure has resulted in significant injuries to children’s brains. In an effort to further protect children from exposure to lead-based paint, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing new rules for contractors who renovate or repair housing, child-care facilities or schools built before 1978. Under the new rules, workers must follow lead-safe work practice standards to reduce potential exposure to dangerous levels of lead during renovation and repair activities.

"While there has been a dramatic decrease over the last two decades in the number of children affected by lead-poisoning, EPA is continuing its efforts to take on this preventable disease," said James Gulliford, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. "Today's new rules will require contractors to be trained and to follow simple but effective lead-safe work practices to protect children from dangerous levels of lead."

The "Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program" rule, which will take effect in April 2010, prohibits work practices creating lead hazards. Requirements under the rule include implementing lead-safe work practices and certification and training for paid contractors and maintenance professionals working in pre-1978 housing, child-care facilities and schools. To foster adoption of the new measures, EPA will also conduct an extensive education and outreach campaign to promote awareness of these new requirements.

The rule covers all rental housing and non-rental homes where children under six and pregnant mothers reside. The new requirements apply to renovation, repair or painting activities where more than six square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed in a room or where 20 square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed on the exterior. The affected contractors include builders, painters, plumbers and electricians. Trained contractors must post warning signs, restrict occupants from work areas, contain work areas to prevent dust and debris from spreading, conduct a thorough cleanup, and verify that cleanup was effective.

Labels: attorney, EPA, lawsuit, lead paint