The Model Aquatic Health Code

The MAHC is hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a Federal agency whose mission is “To promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability.” Furthermore, CDC has been involved in developing swimming pool-related guidance since the 1950s and officially tracking waterborne disease outbreaks associated with aquatic facility use since 1978.

CDC is “the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting public health activities in the United States”; however, CDC is not a regulatory agency.

The MAHC is intended to be open access guidance that state and local public health agencies can use to write or update their POOL CODES in part or in full as fits their jurisdiction’s needs. The CDC adopted this project because no other U.S. federal agency has commission over public disinfected AQUATIC FACILITIES. Considering the CDC’s mission and historical interest in aquatics, this organization was the best qualified to lead a national consortia to create such a document.

Both the aquatics sector and the government share the responsibility of offering AQUATIC FACILITIES that provide consumers and aquatics workers with safe and healthy recreational water experiences and job sites and that do not become sources for the spread of infectious diseases, outbreaks, or the cause of injuries. This shared responsibility extends to working to meet consumer expectations that AQUATIC FACILITIES are properly designed, constructed, operated, and maintained.

The PATRON or BATHER shares a responsibility in maintaining a healthy swimming environment by practicing the CDC-recommended healthy swimming behaviors to improve hygiene and reduce the spread of disease. Consumers and BATHERS also share responsibility for using AQUATIC FACILITIES in a healthy and safe manner to reduce the incidence of injuries.

The aquatics sector and public health officials recognize the value in uniform, consensus guidance created by multi-sector discussion and agreement – both for getting the best possible information and gaining sector acceptance. Since most public AQUATIC FACILITIES are already regulated, the MAHC is intended to be guidance to assist, strengthen, and streamline resource use by state and local code officials or legislatures that already regulate AQUATIC FACILITIES but need to regularly update and improve their AQUATIC FACILITY oversight and regulation. Uniform, consensus guidance using the latest science and best practices helps all public sectors, including businesses and consumers, resulting in the best product and experiences. In addition, the MAHC’s combination of performance-based and prescriptive recommendations gives AQUATIC FACILITIES freedom to use innovative approaches to achieve acceptable results. However, AQUATIC FACILITIES must ensure that these recommendations are still being met, whatever the approach may be, although innovation should be encouraged to achieve outlined performance-based requirements.

The MAHC provides guidance on AQUATIC FACILITY design standards & construction, operation & maintenance, and policies & management that can be uniformly adopted for the aquatics sector. The MAHC: * Is the collective result of the efforts and recommendations of many individuals, public health agencies, and organizations within the aquatics sector, and * Embraces the concept that safe and healthy recreational water experiences by the public are directly affected by how we collectively design, construct, operate, and maintain our AQUATIC FACILITIES.

Model performance-based recommendations essentially define public aquatic health and safety expectations, usually in terms of how dangerous a pathogen or injury is to the public. By using a combination of performance-based recommendations and prescriptive measures, AQUATIC FACILITIES are free to use innovative approaches to provide healthy and safe AQUATIC FACILITIES whereas traditional evaluations mandate how AQUATIC FACILITIES achieve acceptable results. However, to show compliance with the model performance-based recommendation, the AQUATIC FACILITY must demonstrate that control measures are in place to ensure that the recommendations are being met. The underlying theme of the MAHC is that it should be based on the latest science where possible, best practices, and that change will be gradual so all parties can prepare for upcoming changes; “Evolution, not revolution”.

The MAHC 1st Edition was assembled from 14 modules that were posted for one 60-day public comment period each, revised based upon public comment, and reposted individually with revisions. The individual modules were then assembled and cross-checked for discrepancies and duplications arising from the modular development approach. The complete MAHC “Knitted” version was posted for an additional 60-day public comment period to allow reviewers to check wording across sections and submit additional comments. The MAHC “Knitted” version was revised based on the second round of public comment and reposted as the MAHC 1st Edition.

The MAHC is provided as guidance for voluntary use by governing bodies at all levels to regulate public AQUATIC FACILITIES. At the state and local levels, the MAHC may be used in part or in whole to: 1) Enact into statute as an act of the state legislative body; or 2) Promulgate as a regulation, rule or code; or 3) Adopt as an ordinance. CDC is committed to offering, at a minimum, assistance to states and localities in interpreting and implementing the MAHC. CDC welcomes suggestions for how it could best assist localities in using this guidance in the future. CDC also offers a MAHC toolkit (including sample forms and checklists) and is available to give operational guidance to public health pool programs when needed. CDC is committed to expanding its support of the MAHC and ensuring timely updates and improvements.

Other assistance to localities will also be available. The Conference for the Model Aquatic Health Code (CMAHC; www.cmahc.org), an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, was created with CDC support in 2013 to support and improve public health by promoting healthy and safe aquatic experiences for everyone. The CMAHC’s role is to serve as a national clearinghouse for input and advice on needed improvements to CDC’s Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC).The CMAHC will fulfill this role by: 1) Collecting, assessing, and relaying national input on needed MAHC improvements back to CDC for final consideration for acceptance, 2) Advocating for improved health and safety at swimming facilities, 3) Providing consultation and assistance to health departments, boards of health, legislatures, and other partners on MAHC uses, benefits, and implementation, 4) Providing consultation and assistance to the aquatics industry on uses, interpretation, and benefits of the MAHC, and 5) Soliciting, coordinating, and prioritizing MAHC research needs. CDC and the CMAHC will work together closely to continue to incorporate national input into the MAHC and provide optimal guidance and assistance to public health officials and the aquatics sector.

Throughout the creation of the MAHC, the CDC accepted concerns and recommendations for modification of the MAHC from any individual or organization through two 60-day public comment periods via the email address [email protected]

CDC realizes that the MAHC should be an evolving document that is kept up to date with the latest science, industry advances, and public health findings. As the MAHC is used and recommendations are put into practice, MAHC revisions will need to be made. As the future brings new technologies and new aquatic health issues, the CMAHC, with CDC participation, will institute a process for collecting national input that welcomes all stakeholders to participate in making recommendations to improve the MAHC so it remains comprehensive, easy to understand, and as technically sound as possible. These final recommendations will then be weighed by CDC for final incorporation into a new edition of the MAHC.

The provisions of Chapter 4 (Design Standards and Construction) apply to construction of a new AQUATIC FACILITY or AQUATIC VENUE or SUBSTANTIAL ALTERATION to an existing AQUATIC FACILITY or AQUATIC VENUE, unless otherwise noted. The provisions of Chapter 5 and 6 apply to all AQUATIC FACILITIES covered by this code regardless of when constructed, unless otherwise noted.

A new user will find it helpful to review the Table of Contents in order to quickly gain an understanding of the scope and sequence of subjects included in the CODE.