What action should you take if you notice a broken main drain cover at a busy swimming pool?

Closing the pool immediately is the appropriate action when a broken main drain cover is noticed. This measure is critical because a damaged or missing drain cover poses a significant safety risk to swimmers. Main drain covers are essential components designed to prevent entrapment and ensure proper water circulation. If they are broken, there is a potential for a swimmer, particularly children, to become caught or trapped, leading to serious injury or drowning.

While notifying a supervisor is important, it should be done in conjunction with closing the pool to prevent any accidents. Allowing patrons to continue swimming undermines their safety and could lead to grave consequences. Asking a patron to fix the main drain cover is not advisable, as it poses an unlawful delegation of responsibility and further endangers the swimmers while you stand by. Ignoring the concern entirely disregards swimmer safety protocols and can lead to severe liabilities for the facility. Thus, the precaution of closing the pool ensures that immediate action is taken to protect all patrons until the issue is resolved.