http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-tamarac-lifeguard-contr...
Can a guard in a cast be an effective guard?
Permalink Reply by Nick Bacon on I saw this article on facebook a week or so ago and was floored. We had a Lifeguard in an arm cast a few years ago, however it wasn't due to a fracture instead it was a growth plate issue. Before he could return to work he had to provide us a doctor's note releasing him for duty that clearly communicated that the doctor understood and listed what the essential duties of his job would be. He as only cleared for light-duty meaning he could only Guard our shallow water pool. We also made him demonstrate that he could effectively support an adult victim, and perform a backboarding in shallow water before he was allowed to return to duty.
Thinking about our situation and the complications it put on our staff to accomodate that injury I can not believe the operators of this pool cleared this Lifeguard to actively Guard while on crutches and in a leg cast. A person in a leg cast can't walk or run, let alone swim, and their hands are always occupied by the crutches, they are effectively useless in a rescue or medical care situation, if it was a full-leg cast they couldn't even kneel to provide effective chest compressions. To me that is a no-go. Time to train that Guard for front-desk duty or refer them to the workman's comp/unemployment program until they can return to duty...
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