Asset maintenance and school swimming pool operation procedure

Audience

Department-wide

Purpose

Identifies responsibilities regarding the annual Asset Maintenance Program (AMP) and Special Maintenance Programs (SMP) for Department of Education and Training (DET) facilities including swimming or hydrotherapy pools.

Ensures that maintenance of Queensland Government buildings, i.e. all state schools, ECEC facilities and Employee Housing is undertaken in accordance with the whole of government Maintenance Management Framework (MMF) policy.

Overview

To provide clear guidelines and responsibilities for maintenance of DET school, ECEC and housing facilities including swimming or hydrotherapy pools.

DET is committed to maintaining high quality facilities to support effective teaching and learning in a safe working environment.

Through the AMPs and SMPs, DET will support the delivery of maintenance in accordance with the whole of government Maintenance Management Framework.

The Swimming Pool Maintenance Program addresses maintenance tasks relating to the pool shell, immediate surrounds up to 3m from the water’s edge, underground pipework and filtration systems.

All other swimming pool maintenance tasks identified through the school’s condition assessment are addressed utilising the school’s annual maintenance allocation.

Responsibilities

Principals, ECEC Centre Directors, Local Accommodation Officers, Regional Infrastructure Managers and Department of Housing and Public Works (Building and Asset Services (BAS) or their contractors) or Private Service Providers:

• Ensure that maintenance works are undertaken on DET facilities in accordance with DET Management of Asbestos Containing Materials in DET Facilities Policy and Asbestos Management Plan.

Principals, ECEC Centre Directors, Local Accommodation Officers:

• Ensure that Workplace Health and Safety (WH&S) issues are made safe immediately and addressed as soon as possible including P1 tasks identified during the condition assessment.
• Contact BAS immediately for major incidents or emergencies (break and enter, fire, natural disaster or vandalism) and notify Regional Infrastructure Manager.

Regional Officers (infrastructure Managers and Advisors) are responsible for asset maintenance decision making, supporting principals and collaborating with relevant stakeholders to identify and resolve local and regional issues. They facilitate the quality and value of works delivered in asset maintenance related matters including providing targeted support to Direct to Market schools.

Central Officers are responsible for meeting departmental and government objectives and legislative requirements in asset maintenance related matters and facilitating state, regional and local resolutions of asset maintenance issues.

Process

Maintenance is identified through condition assessments conducted by BAS. These assessments are conducted either a qualified in-house BAS assessors or external organisations commissioned by BAS to undertake on their behalf.

Principals:

• Provide input on task selection and functional requirements in entry and exit condition assessment meetings with Assessor and certify the workplace health and safety task sheet provided
• Forward a signed copy of the P1 task sheet within thirty (30) days of identification to their Regional Infrastructure Manager
• Select appropriate maintenance delivery methodology and advise Regional Facility Manager at the beginning of each financial year
• Select a program of planned maintenance works within the limits of the available maintenance budget, allowing sufficient funding to address unplanned maintenance requirements (i.e. leaking taps, lock repair). School maintenance (DET employees only) provides further details.
• Group maintenance tasks where possible to obtain greater efficiencies, better value for money and minimise disruption to school
• Action planned maintenance as follows
  • BAS schools - prioritise selected maintenance tasks in consultation with Facility Infrastructure Advisor and BAS. Approve selected tasks in OneSchool
  • D2M schools - prioritise selected maintenance tasks in consultation with facility account manager. Create work requests and raise purchase orders in OneSchool facilities, engage contractors following processes set out in D2M (DET employees only)
• Program selected works for completion via chosen maintenance delivery methodology
• In emergencies, all schools contact BAS by phone and advise Facility Infrastructure Advisor
• Action routine breakdowns in reasonable timeframes so as not to cause undue prolonged lack of functionality of the facility, as follows:
  • BAS schools - Raise work requests in OneSchool facilities, work requests sent to BAS automatically
  • D2M schools - Raise work request and purchase order in Agresso and engage private contractors following processes set out in D2M (DET employees only)
• Sign off works in OneSchool once completed satisfactorily
• Ensure that BAS conducts regular Service Maintenance in accordance with the BAS Service Maintenance Reference Guide (DET employees only)
• Advise of new or changed facilities to maintain accuracy to the school’s facilities map (DET employees only) located on OnePortal
• Remain within the limits of available school maintenance funding and ensure expenditure of allocated funds by 30 June each year
• Communicate major maintenance (including pool maintenance) issues to the Regional Infrastructure Advisor which may impact on the budget, full utilisation or safe use of the asset.

Principals with swimming pools or hydrotherapy pools:

• Conduct regular reviews with regards the overall management of the facility, both in and out of school hours, student swimming capability, lifesaving and other necessities and determine and enforce specific actions to mitigate risks
• Follow School Swimming Pool Operation and Management Guidelines to mitigate risks in the operation and management of swimming pools
• Act in accordance with Queensland Health Swimming and Spa Pool Water Quality and Operational Guidelines, which outlines recommended pool management practices for owners and operators to support a safe pool environment
• Ensure that the training of pool operators is appropriate and current to ensure ongoing compliance with Queensland Health Swimming and Spa Pool Water Quality and Operational Guidelines
• Notify the Regional Facilities Manager of assets requiring substantial financial assistance to remain safe or fully operational
• Test water quality three times daily, recording/graphing the results in a book provided annually by BAS and retain records.

ECEC Centre Directors in DET Owned Facilities:

• Implement policies and procedures in line with the requirements of the applicable leasing agreement
• Provide input on task selection and functional requirements in entry and exit condition assessment meetings and certify the workplace health and safety task sheet provided
• Provide input on task selection for the planned maintenance program
• For emergency and routine breakdown work, contact BAS
• Ensure that routine breakdown maintenance is actioned by BAS in reasonable timeframes.

Local Accommodation Officers (LAOs):

• Communicate major maintenance issues raised by tenants to Regional Infrastructure Manager which may impact on the budget or safe use of the asset to seek resolution
• Contact BAS for all unplanned housing maintenance issues to ensure they are resolved within a timely manner
• Assist Regional Infrastructure Managers in formulation of the annual planned housing maintenance program
• Ensure access to residences for delivery of maintenance tasks.

Department of Housing and Public Works (BAS or their contractors) or Private Service Providers:
All Providers:

• Deliver maintenance programs in a manner which fosters value for money, work efficiencies and has minimal impact on schools, ECECs and tenants
• Ensure that maintenance works are undertaken in accordance with Working on DET Facilities
• Comply with Workplace Health & Safety Act 2011 and other relevant statutory requirements for maintenance activities and service maintenance
• Provide reasonable and timely advice to schools and DET facilities personnel as to program progress, including work that is no longer required (e.g. already completed) and changes to scope of individual projects
• Provide schools and DET facilities personnel with a preliminary forecast of all scheduled work including planned start/finish timelines, provide program delivery advice when improvement opportunities arise
• Coordinate and manage field staff and sub-contractors.

BAS:

• Plan, manage and deliver the program of works as required within the DET/BAS partnership agreement and agreed business rules
• Place job statements on BAS web portal for all maintenance works upon completion
• Forward job statements to ECEC contacts
• Respond to DET regional priorities and report on key performance indicators to allow for monitoring and reporting of performance at a regional level
• Provide technical advice regarding the day-to-day operations of swimming pools to DET.

DET Employees:

• Report any workplace health and safety or maintenance issues to the Principal

Parents and Citizens Associations (P&C) and Volunteers:

• Adhere to the following departmental policy and procedures relating to asset maintenance and operation of school swimming pools:
  • School Swimming Pool Operation and Management Guidelines
  • Parents and Citizen's Associations - State Schools
• Report any maintenance concerns to the Principal.

Regions:

• Seek commitment from schools on maintenance delivery methodology and advise ISB
• Review certified P1 task sheets forwarded by principals and follow up any exceptions to ensure compliance
• Provide reasonable and timely strategic advice to schools on maintenance issues including the selection of tasks for AMP and SMP
• Manage contingency funds to assist schools with major unforeseeable maintenance needs beyond scope of school’s annual maintenance allocation
• Monitor and assist schools with management of the maintenance budget to ensure expenditure of allocated funds by 30 June each year
• Assist schools throughout planning and delivery of school managed maintenance projects
• Develop regional working relationships with service providers to support effective delivery of maintenance to schools, ECECs and staff housing
• Monitor and evaluate service provider’s delivery performance
• Manage grounds care and maintenance issues for vacant and mothballed sites
• Formulate and monitor employee housing annual maintenance program
• Plan and deliver special maintenance programs, where possible create efficiencies by coordinating maintenance with other DET works programs (e.g. minor and capital works programs) to obtain value for money.

Infrastructure Services Branch (ISB):

• Coordinate the maintenance condition assessment, annual maintenance and special maintenance programs (e.g. targeted, swimming pool, asbestos removal) in consultation with regions
• Minimise disruption to the school swimming season by coordinating pool maintenance to colder months where possible
• Define quality assurance measures to ensure service providers deliver maintenance programs in a manner which fosters value for money, work efficiencies, quality of works and reduction in maintenance liability
• Manage partnerships with service providers including setting out the purpose, objective, scope and reporting requirements of each maintenance program
• Manage ECEC maintenance programs in consultation with ECEC Centre Directors, including prioritising MAR tasks to form the planned maintenance program
• Monitor and report on the delivery and performance of service providers to ensure expenditure of allocated budgets by 30 June each year
• Provide training and advice to schools engaged in Direct to Market maintenance delivery and support regional officers in this activity
• Work with ECEC Centre Director to ensure facilities are compliant with the Education and Care Services Act 2013 and the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2013 .

Definitions

Legislation

• Financial Accountability Act 2009 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)

Delegations/Authorisations

• Nil

Other resources

• Management of asbestos-containing material in department-owned facilities procedure
• Working on DET Facilities
• Service Maintenance Reference Guide (DET employees only)
• School Maintenance (DET employees only)
• Use of licensed contractors to complete regulated work
• Health and safety laws
• Maintenance Management Framework
• Direct to Market Maintenance
• Queensland Government Asbestos Management Policy for its Assets
• Health and Safety Laws
• Resource Replacement Scheme procedure
• School Security procedure
• Minor Works Program procedure

Superseded versions

Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.

Nil