Articles by Maria Bella

Aquatic facilities utilize various hazardous chemicals to maintain water safety. When used properly, the public tends not to pay attention; however, missteps in facility operations can lead to toxic chemical inhalation, chemical burns, pathogen exposures, and other serious consequences.

In this article, aquatic safety expert, Maria Bella discusses chemical hazards at aquatic facilities and the standard of care for water treatment at pools, water parks, and other aquatic venues.

This webinar explores some commonly misunderstood aspects of drownings that occur at facilities with lifeguards on duty.

When a drowning occurs at a guarded pool, the immediate reaction is often to point blame at the lifeguards, but recent science demonstrates that this is not always appropriate. The leader of our Aquatics practice, Maria Bella, has investigated hundreds of drowning incidents across the country, from private pools to hotels, resorts, schools, and institutions large and small. Here she explains the scientific factors that may prevent an attentive guard from seeing or recognizing a swimmer in distress. She also describes the preventive steps that facilities can take to eliminate dangerous lifeguard blind spots.

Psychologist Dr. Staci Weiner closes the presentation with a discussion on the psychological impact of drownings. Her discussion includes the short and long term effects for those closest to the victim, as well as the potential implications for the lifeguards on duty.

In this case, Aquatics Expert, Maria Bella, was retained by defense counsel to investigate a drowning incident that occurred at a gated apartment pool.

In this article, aquatics expert, Maria Bella, AFOIT, CPOI, LGI, provides an introduction to the safety standards relevant to pool fences.

The plaintiff in this case broke his arm while attempting to exit the run-out at the end of a waterslide. Robson Forensic aquatic safety expert, Maria Bella, AFOIT, CPOI, LGI, was retained to determine if the waterpark operated the subject waterslide in a manner that caused this incident.

A patron at a local amusement park was injured when he dove from an elevated board into a swimming pool and struck the pool bottom with his face. He sustained an abrasion to his forehead and lacerations to his nose and the area above his upper lip. The plaintiff’s expert claimed that the actions of the local amusement park were unreasonable and caused this injury. Robson Forensic aquatics safety expert, Maria Bella, AFOIT, CPOI, LGI, was retained to determine if the amusement park violated standards of care for aquatic facilities in a manner that caused the diver’s injury.

In this article, Robson Forensic experts in Industrial Hygiene and Aquatics Safety discuss some of the issues relevant to air quality in indoor swimming areas.

In this article, aquatics safety expert, Maria Bella, AFOIT, CPOI, LGI, discusses the rapid rate at which hotel waterparks are expanding and why safety may be a secondary concern as players rush to get into the game and preserve their hard won market share of leisure and business travelers.

Well run swimming pools are an attractive amenity that can dramatically increase revenue. Improperly run aquatic facilities will increase liability instead, and an overlooked hazard can lead to tragedy. Following is a list of ten commonly overlooked items that are easy to address, and when given proper attention, may save money on insurance costs, and will save lives.