The warmer months are coming to an end – but that doesn’t mean that you need to abandon your pool party dreams. Indoor Water Parks, or Aquatic Centers, give you a way to enjoy swimming, waterslides, and all sorts of wet and wild fun all year round. 

However, indoor water parks also bring their own set of risks for a proprietor to consider. Operating a full indoor water park is a very different experience than simply operating an outdoor pool. You need to consider your establishment as a combination of an amusement park or playground, as well as a pool. This blog will explain some of the risks you need to consider, and how to use these considerations to build your online waiver forms and reduce liability. 

Indoor Water Park Risks

One thing to keep in mind when creating any kind of pool liability waiver form is that pools and water parks are very popular places for children’s parties and events. Anything involving children will inherently involve more risk – children don’t have the best ability to gauge risk and can get over-excited when faced with all the fun of an indoor water park. Children can’t agree to release liability on their own and will need parents to sign any registration forms.

With that in mind, the following are some unique risks at indoor water parks – when designing an online waiver form, you may want to waive your liability for these. This part will also include tips for helping reduce these risks, avoiding complications in the first place. 

Infections and Illness 

Not the risk most people think of when they consider an indoor water park, but one you need to watch out for. Any place with a large group of people in the same group of water is going to be at risk for fungal or bacterial infections, and anyone who picks one of these up may be tempted to sue. Make sure to waive liability, ensure that guests properly shower before using your facilities, and check your chlorine levels constantly.

Ironically, the use of disinfectant products can sometimes cause their own set of medical hazards. You should make sure that all kinds of medical conditions are covered under your online waiver forms. 

Drowning

As with any aquatic facility, drowning due to poor swimming ability or medical distress is always going to be a risk. It is vital that you put on your online waiver forms a requirement that all guests confirm that they can swim without assistance, and are not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol while using your facilities.

Slipping and Falling

Slipping is a potential risk at any facility with pools. However, an indoor water park adds a whole new dimension to this sort of risk, with potential places for climbing or waterslides. These are going to be some of the main risks and included in your liability waiver forms under a general risk of injury or death. The best way to protect against these is to design for safety – guardrails are vital. You also want to put in rules against running and horseplay, and make sure you have adequate staffing. 

Marketing 

Not really a risk, but this is one that some indoor water parks forget to put on their pool liability waiver forms and might get stung by. If you are an indoor water park, your marketing is going to be your lifeline. You need people to take the journey out to you and not just focus on local customers. This means taking a lot of pictures and videos of people enjoying your facilities.

However, some people may not like being included in promotional material and could sue for the usage of their image. Make sure to include a section about waiving their rights in this case in your online waiver forms to avoid getting blindsided. 

Get Ready With WaiverForever

If you’re looking to take an aquatic center, or any business, paperless, you’ll want to check out what WaiverForever has to offer. We’ve helped a ton of clients, including water parks, get out of the massive piles of paper, and put their energy into operating the best business they can.

Better yet, with our Free Trial, you can start today. Everything will be handled and easily tracked online, meaning you’ll never have to worry about any threats of liability coming your way.