Pool Safety : What You Need To Know

While pools are great for cooling off during the hottest days of summer, they can also be dangerous if precautions are not taken.

Once it comes to building a new pool or renovating an existing one, you need to make sure that all safety standards are being met and Australian pool safety laws. After all, no one wants a swimming pool with missing tiles, peeling paint, or dangling nets.

All pools need to comply with Australia’s safety standards for all children and adults. The safety laws include a range of restrictions from

• fences
• gates
• lighting
• steps
• other structures

All swimming pools must have a compliant fence that is at least 1 meter high and is made of a durable material like steel or concrete. There should be no gaps between the fence and ground, and the gate should only unlock from the inside.

The association has safety standards that are detailed in their document, “Code of Practice for Swimming Pools and Spas”. It is important that all pools have safety barriers that surround the pool edge. All pools should also have a self-closing, self-latching gate for safety purposes.

Pool safety in Queensland Australia: What You Need To Know

• By law, your pool or spa must be registered with a council relevant to your area.
• If a pool or spa has a depth of 30cm or more (300mm), it is required to be surrounded by a safety barrier. This includes inflatable pools.
• All pools must be fully enclosed by a barrier that is at least 1200mm in height, barriers can include fencing or walls.
• The bottom of the pool fence and gate must be no more than 100mm off the ground.
• If the horizontal rails are 900mm or more apart the verticals cannot exceed 100mm apart.
• If the horizontals are less than 900mm apart the verticals must be no more than 10mm wide.
• The gate must open away from the pool and never be propped open.
• The gate must be self-closing from any position and self-latching.
• The gate latch must be located at least 1500mm above the ground and at least 1400mm above the top part of the horizontal railings. Or the gate latch must be located on the inside of the fence.
• All climbable objects must be at least 900mm away from the fence on the outside.
• All non-climbable objects must not be within 300mm of the pool fence on the inside.
• You must display a CPR sign prominently in the pool area (it should be legible from at least 3m away).
• You cannot have door access to the pool from the house. Any windows around the pool must not open more than 100mm or must have screens and or locks.
• Before selling, leasing, or renting a property with a pool, you must obtain a pool safety certificate.

Resouces: Shine Lawyers 

Rules for swimming require that you be at least eight years old before going near a pool without supervision.  It’s summertime and people are heading to the pool to cool down from the heat. Make sure you take all safety measures into consideration to avoid any bad luck this season.