Aquatic Facility Risk Management Alex Antoniou, Ph.D., National Swimming Pool Foundation

Risk management involves identifying, analyzing, and taking steps to reduce or eliminate the exposures to loss faced by an organization or individual. The practice utilizes tools and techniques, including insurance, to manage a wide variety of risks. Every business encounters risks, some of which are predictable and under management’s control; others are unpredictable and uncontrollable. Risk management is particularly vital for small aquatic facilities, since some common types of losses—such as theft, fire, flood, legal liability, injury, or disability—can destroy in a few minutes what may have taken an entrepreneur years to build. Such losses and liabilities can affect day-to-day operations, reduce profits, and cause financial hardship severe enough to cripple or bankrupt a small business. Many large companies or facilities employ a full-time risk manager to identify risks and take the necessary steps to protect the company against them. Small companies or facilities rarely have a full-time risk manager. Instead, the responsibility for risk management usually falls on the facility manager, the owner, or even the pool operator.

The concept of risk management encompasses a much broader scope of activities and responsibilities than does insurance management. Risk management is now a widely accepted description of a discipline within most organizations. Basic risks such as fire, windstorm, employee injuries, and automobile accidents, as well as more sophisticated exposures such as product liability, environmental impairment, and employment practices, are the province of the risk management department in a typical organization. At aquatic facilities, risks can include drowning, entrapment, chemical exposure, and diving accidents.

Biographical Information:

Alex earned a Ph.D. in Motor Learning and Control from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; a M.PE from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and a B.Ed from Crewe and Alsager College in England.

Prior to joining the National Swimming Pool Foundation as the Director of Educational Programs, Alex was the Aquatics Director at Rutgers University for eleven years. He has been involved in aquatics for over 25 years. As a volunteer, Alex serves as Director of Field Operations for the Shark Research Institute. Alex is married and has one son.