Guidance: Safe Management of Open Water Activities

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The Water Incident Research Hub issues this guidance, which applies to UK open water sites operated on a commercial basis. You may choose not to adhere to this guidance and take other action instead if you so wish. If you follow the guidance, it will help you meet your obligations. Enforcement bodies may refer to this guidance to inform the standards that should be in place.

Open water presents significant health and safety hazards which, if managed properly, can provide a reasonably safe and enjoyable experience for users. 

This guidance was published at a time when there was no overarching industry guidance for operators of UK open-water venues. The guidance is aimed at sites in the UK but may be used elsewhere. It has been put together to help operators in the interim until such time that the industry gets together to agree and publish a unified document.  

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