Lifeguards for private swimming pools licensed by the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department who are not pool lifeguard award holders have one year to upgrade their qualifications under an amendment gazetted today.

The Swimming Pools (Amendment) Regulation 2005 requires life-saving attendants to upgrade their qualifications, from holding a bronze medal to having a pool lifeguard award.

The law will take effect in one year, on April 1, 2006.

Lifeguards now employed in public swimming pools must be valid pool lifeguard award holders. Not all of the 1,700 or so lifeguards serving private swimming pools have the pool lifeguard award.

The Health, Welfare & Food Bureau considers it necessary to require the upgrade to protect swimmers at private swimming pools.

The bureau expects lifeguards serving at private swimming pools who do not hold valid pool lifeguard awards to acquire the qualification through training and tests over the next 12 months.

The Swimming Pools (Amendment) Regulation 2005 will be tabled in the Legislative Council on April 6.