The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department said today that a life-saving attendant at the San Francisco Towers swimming pool on Ventris Road, Happy Valley is suspected of using a fraudulent life-saving attendant certificate.
The department elaborated that its officers, while verifying a batch of lifeguard records with the Hong Kong China Life Saving Society today, found that the credentials of a life-saving attendant on duty at the swimming pool on June 4 did not match the society’s records.
As the life-saving attendant’s qualifications are in doubt, and the swimming pool has allegedly failed to provide a sufficient number of qualified life-saving attendants as required by law, the department ordered the immediate closure of the pool. It is also considering prosecuting the pool licensee.
In addition to reporting the case to Police, the department notified the Property Management Services Authority to take parallel follow-up action.
The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department has implemented a series of enhancement measures from May 19 to further prevent the employment of unqualified life-saving attendants at private swimming pools. In May, it inspected 713 licensed swimming pools and verified the qualifications of 1,041 life-saving attendants with the Hong Kong China Life Saving Society.
Apart from the case in Happy Valley, no other irregularities regarding suspected employment of unqualified life-saving attendants have been identified, the department added.
