I think there is some latent fear, likely not well founded, that lightening may strike the structure, travel through the plumbing and electrocute someone in the pool. That sounds like a long shot at best.

That said, my family used to tell me that my grandfather, whom I never met, was killed by lightening while driving a tractor and that it hit him in the hea and blew him to pieces.

Strong voodoo.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

AFAIK, lightning can travel indoors through windows. As a kid, a neighbor's TV was supposedly hit by lightning during a storm.

I've read that a lightning strike can skim quite far over the water surface. I remember a scarey scuba diving experience of surfacing in the middle of a lightning storm after a half hour wreck dive on Lake Ontario. It was fine we went under but was a big storm when we came up. As a group of divers we had to line up to get up the ladder onto the steel hull dive boat. We all had metal scuba tanks on our backs while the lightning was coming down. So we all dropped to about ten feet down and went up the boat ladder one at a time rather than waiting on the surface as a group.

One word... plumbing... yep, good old copper (or any metal) increases the probability of electrocution.

Can you get electrocuted in bathtub or shower or washing dishes... well, yes... happened to my sister while she was washing dishes when we were kids. She survived... but, it knocked her to the ground... she kind of spassed a little, but basically she was fine once the shock wore off... saw it for myself.

Joe

[reply]Can someone give me a scientific explanation for why an enclosed swimming pool, part of a large wellness center, should close because of possible or even probable thunder storms and lightning? What's the difference between an indoor swimming pool and my bathtub during a storm? Don't tell me you're not supposed to take a shower or bath during a storm--so why close a swimming pool?[/reply]

People have been electrocuted while talking on the phone (land-line) indoors during a thunderstorm. While such events are unlikely, the pool is closed because of the lawyers.

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

Hey, years ago I got struck by lightning talking on the phone. It was in the days before portables, it came through the wires, sparked out the mouthpiece and burnt my lips. Damn that hurt! I'd say better safe than sorry.

Support Crew

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Support Crew
This information contained herein has been assembled for your assistance and convenience. It is believed to be reliable, however, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All opinions shown are subject to change without notice.

Scientific? No. I can tell you as a former lifeguard and pool operator, that lightening will knock out power thus stopping the pool pumps. When water is not being circulated, it's not being treated. Most health departments would then require the bathers (technical term, "bathers" when you are speaking as a pool operator and "patron" when you are speaking as a lifeguard) to exit the pool. As a lifeguard, I can tell you it is much easier to evacuate a natatorium with the lights on versus when they are off.

Each aquatic facility will have their own SOP's for weather events.

Just my thoughts.

L8R,

Brett

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"Du or Du not-there is no Tri" - Yoda

Indoor/Outdoor Swimming Pool Safety
Lightning’s behavior is random and unpredictable. We recommend a very conservative attitude towards it. Preparedness and quick responses are the best defenses towards the lightning hazard.

Swimming pools are connected to a much larger surface area via underground water pipes, gas lines, electric and telephone wiring, etc. Lightning strikes to the ground anywhere on this metallic network may induce shocks elsewhere.

The National Lightning Safety Institute recommends the following swimming pool safety procedures:

Designate a responsible person as the weather safety lookout. That person should keep an eye on the weather. Use a "weather radio" or the Weather Channel or other TV program to obtain good localized advanced weather information.
When thunder and/or lightning are first noticed, use the Flash-To-Bang (F-B) method to determine its’ rough distance and speed. This technique measures the time from seeing lightning to hearing associated thunder. For each five seconds from F-B, lightning is one mile away. Thus, a F-B of 10 = 2 miles; 15 = 3 miles; 20 = 4 miles; etc. At a F-B count of thirty, the pool should be evacuated. People should be directed to safe shelter nearby.
Pool activities should remain suspended until thirty minutes after the last thunder is heard. The distance from Strike A to Strike B to Strike C can be some 5-8 miles away. And it can strike much farther away. Why take a chance with lightning?

Why not?

At one time I belonged to a Fitness Center, that if it was lightning would: close the indoor pool, evacuate the showers/bathrooms, turn off all electrical powered equipment (e.g. treadmill, etc...) and cancel any classes that made use of electrical equipment (e.g. Spin Class, which used a stereo).

My only complaint is that they did not provide 2 inch thick rubber suits to all the patrons (to provide insulation against any possible stray electrical shock from a lightning strike to the complex).

Closing the pool seems very reasonable to me. Then of course I did say, "At one time I belonged..." ; )

When I was a lifeguard back in the '70s, I worked at a complex with two outdoor pools and one indoor pool. When it started to lightning, we would close the outdoor pools but not the indoor pool. When I started swimming again in the '90s, I was surprised to find that most indoor pools are now also closed when it lightnings. Don't know if there is any case of anyone in an indoor pool ever being electrocuted during a thunderstorm or just a case of fear of litigation.

Because some Idiot would probably sue the Y because they were not smart enough to get out of the pool without beeing told

My YMCA closes the pool when the sky gets dark. Thats when the conditions are ripe for phantom lightning and all of the guards can socialize for the next hour. I was running to the Y last year when I certainly would have heard thunder, upon arrivng learned the pool was closed...ummm..sure.

Found this site that directly addresses your question:

http://www.lightningsafety.com/...ls/indoor_pools.html

If the policy were to make sense, then you'd have to do all those things. If the pool is closed the showers need to be closed too. No phone use allowed, no computer use allowed ect etc.

It wouldn't last very long.

Wags,

That is a good site, but in many areas of the country (such as here in Florida), if those recomendations were followed to the letter, indoor pools would be closed a good percentage of the day, esp. during the summer. So, I guess the pool management will have to decide what their level of exposure is versus their level of customer dissatisfaction and make appropriate decisions.

About 20 years ago, we had lightning strike a tree in our backyard. It traveled through the root system to the copper supply line from the water meter into the house. Where the water line passed under the back door stoop, a huge chunk of sod was blown about 10 feet up in the air, and two bricks in the door sill were cracked. We found a spoon in the stainless steel kitched sink spot welded to the disposall rim. If my wife had been using the sink at the time, I imagine she would have gotten quite a shock. So--it is possible, altough they did say they knew of no deaths from it.

Many indoor pools in my area have been rebuilt or overhauled in recent years. It makes me wonder if engineering technology exists to eliminate any electrical risk. As someone pointed out, all public buildings with plumbing don't go CODE RED with every storm.

I remember reading somewhere on that site that there have been no documented cases of anyone being struck in an indoor pool but they felt it was a risk and not all cases are documented. This is one of those times that perhaps you don't want to be the first.

But it certainly makes little sense to close the pool but leave the showers open, same risk and logic aplies it would seem to me.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

If lightning travels through the plumbing, how long until someone sues WalMart b/c they got shocked while sitting on the toilet?

No joke, at the law firm my mother worked at, they had to defend their client from a woman who sued them because she fell off the toilet.

"As a kid, a neighbor's TV was supposedly hit by lightning during a storm."

The most likely cause for that is a lightning striking the TV antenna on the roof of the house, not "traveling through the window.

I lifeguard part time in Northern California. Lightning strikes are few and far between here, and people seem to have no idea of the danger. I grew up on the east coast, and every summer a few people are out on the beach playing frisbee in a lightning storm and get struck. I've been stuck 7 or 8 miles from home before when a big storm rolled in a god knows i never ran so fast in my life.

Needless to say, as a guard, i follow the procedures given to me. I'm not going to risk my job, or put myself in a position where the likelihood of me having to perform CPR / drag some dead person out of the pool is increased. Please don't give your guard a hard time when they ask you to get out of the pool, it's simply for your own good and because they are following procedure.