Do you have a pool? Then it must have a safety barrier which is well maintained at all times. Maintenance of pool fences and safety barriers are essential to keep children safe from drowning or being seriously injured. If you have a damaged pool fence or a barrier, you must repair it immediately. At present all pool fences and barriers must comply with current pool safety laws.
Why do barriers fail?
There are several common reasons for this
- the gates are not self-closing and self-latching from all points
- the height of the pool safety barrier is less than 1200mm—ground levels and garden beds can rise over time, reducing the height of the pool barrier
- the adjoining boundary fences have climbable rails
- the windows opening into the pool area can be opened by more than 100mm
- there are climbable objects near the pool safety barrier.
How to make your pool barrier compliant?
There are several easy fixes that you can do to make sure that your pool fences and/or barriers comply with the regulations.
- replace, tighten or adjust the hinges on your gates
- make sure the pool safety barrier height is at least 1200mm from bottom to top
- trim back any vegetation or branches that a child could use to climb over the pool safety barrier
- shield or remove climbable objects within 900mm of the pool safety barrier
- install fixed security screens on windows that open into the pool enclosure
Replacing a damaged or missing part/s of a fence or a barrier
You must replace the missing part/s of the fence or the barrier immediately.
If a small part of the safety barrier is damaged (e.g. where palings, hinges or latches need to be replaced) the barrier may be repaired (to the same standard as the existing pool safety barrier)—unless you are selling or leasing the property. In this case, the barrier must comply with the current standard.
Building a new safety barrier
When building a new safety barrier, the new barrier must comply with the current standards. You do not need a building development approval in following situations.
- the pool safety standard is the only assessable standard applicable to the work; and
- the fence is not higher than 2m above ground level or if built on a retaining wall or other structure, then the fence is not higher than 2m above the wall or structure, and no part of the fence that is higher than 2m above ground level is within 1.5m of a boundary; and
- for compliance with the pool safety the pool barrier is inspected by a pool safety inspector.
Responsibilities
Owners of swimming pools
If you own a land which has a pool then you are a pool owner. It is your responsibility to make sure that your pool safety barrier is compliant.
Tenants renting a property with a swimming pool
If you are a tenant, then your responsibilities include making sure the pool gates are closed at all times and no objects around the pool that let children access the pool.
While you are renting if you buy a pool or spa, you must ensure that it has a compliant pool safety barrier (if needed by law). You can view the rules for portable pools and spas here
As market leaders in the area of safety, Seymour Consultants have been inspecting pools and pool fences for many years and make it our duty to stay up to date with all current pool safety laws applicable for your situation. At Seymour Consultants we pride ourselves on providing you with a professional, personalised and positive experience. We make it our mission to provide a level of service that separates us from our competitors.
Call us now on o7 5573 4011 to book your pool barrier inspection or book online.