Supervision is deployed in aquatic facilities with the purpose of reducing the level of risk in an inherently risky environment. Lifeguards play a vital role in preventing incidents through patron education, pool space management and rule enforcement. They are also relied upon to be the first responder in the event of any emergency.

The supervision plan of every aquatic facility should vary significantly depending on context. A one size fits all supervision plan is unlikely to be effective across most aquatic facilities.

For a supervision plan to be effective and deliver on expectation, it is vital that the operator adopts a systematic approach to the development and review of the strategies used and measures their effectiveness through external review by an appropriately qualified third-party, such as Royal Life Saving.

In evaluating the system of supervision, Royal Life Saving adopts risk management principles to ensure the deployment of supervision is planned and targeted to manage risk and provide an appropriate standard of safety specific to the facility, while reflecting information provided in the Guidelines for Safe Pool Operation.