An incident earlier this year at the Motueka Saltwater Baths where a contractor slipped and suffered a head injury has led us to review health and safety policies at the site.
The Baths were originally built with three walls in the late 1930s by the community, but over the following years large quantities of sand accumulated in them which proved difficult to remove.
The facility fell into disrepair until the early 1990s when volunteers re-concreted them, adding a shallow pool, a new drainage system and a deck around them.
Then in 2003 the Baths closed again and faced demolition for failing to meet new strict health and safety regulations, but we got together with the community and installed a new valve to allow more regular flows of seawater in and out of the pools.
The Baths are maintained by a dedicated group of community volunteers under the direction of our contractor.
But following the recent accident, we reviewed the site’s health and safety protocols during cleaning times and now require volunteers, as well as paid staff, to use an increased level of personal protective equipment.
These community volunteers have put thousands of hours into their cleaning efforts at the Baths over the decades, and we’re extremely grateful to this team who assist in cleaning this historic community asset – without whom the asset would not be the treasure it is.