Making The Pool Fence A Feature
Making The Pool Fencing A Feature
The Swimming pool and spa safety aim is to reduce the risk of drowning for small children by providing an adequate safety barrier from outside the pool and spa area. However, there is no substitution for supervision when small children are in or near a swimming pool or spa.
Owning a pool or spa carriers great responsibility for the safety of those using the pool or spa. Which set of regulations will apply to a given pool or spa will depend on its date of installation.
The legislation requires a safety barrier for any swimming pool and spa that is more than 300mm in depth and must be maintained for the life of the pool/spa.
Pools and Spas for which a building license application was lodged with a local council after May 1st 20106 are required to ensure all barriers comply with the Australian Standards AS1926.1-2012 which is designed to deny access by unsupervised young children (especially kids U5 ) to the swimming pool area. Existing pools need to comply with the earlier version of the Australian Standards.
Fencing Must Be Constructed So That:
1 The fence does not provide access to young children to crawl under or climb over by using foot or hand holds.
2 The fence is not less than 1.2 meters high (Boundary barriers are to be not less than 1.8 metres high).
3 There is a 900mm no-climb zone (NCZ) from the top of the fence for kids to get over.
Gates To The Pool Area Must:
1 Only swing outwards from the pool area.
2 Be self-closing from any position.
3 Have a sufficient height of 1.2m, and the latch must be at least 1.5m high.
Walls:
Child resistant doors are not considered an adequate safety barrier, and pools must have a barrier isolating them from the house. External walls can be used as swimming pool barriers on the provision that they don’t have door openings to the pool enclosure and windows are restricted to prevent access.
Doors And Windows:
Doors from a dwelling are prohibited from opening on to a swimming pool enclosure. The only exception is doors opening on to a swimming pool within an enclosed building.
Acceptable windows are those that:
1 Do not open far enough to create an opening of 100mm
2 Have the lowest opening panel of not less than 1.2 metres above the floor.
3 Have security screens installed or are wholly enclosed by grills.
Today, almost as much thought goes into the fencing around a pool as the pool its self. There is a variety of pool and spa fencing that provides a clear view of the pool and spa from the house, patio or other areas around the garden.
Maintenance
By far the most significant single cause of accidents in swimming pools and spa is inattention to the maintenance of fences and gates that give access to the pool or spa area. It’s essential that all self-closing and self-latching devices receive regular servicing so that they operate correctly. It is also crucial that the integrity of the fence is not compromised by allowing the garden furniture, wheelbarrows rubish bins bicycles to lean up against the fence thus allowing youngsters to climb up and over or to reach the gate latch.
Inspections
Your local council is required to inspect your pool or spa at least once every four years. The owner can be fined if they do not comply due to faulty or inadequate maintenance.
Please Note: This is a general summary only if you are looking for specific requirements, please refer to AS 1926.1-2012 or for more information please contact a local SPASA WA member the building commission or local government. For more questions and answers about pools.
