A Guide to Swimming Pool Safety

You might be in the process of buying a larger home with a pool or are thinking about adding a pool to your property; safety is, of course, an important aspect of having a pool on your property. We have all heard of the horror stories where kids have managed to gain access to a pool and a tragedy occurs and in order to ensure that your pool complies with Australian legislation, here is a guide to swimming pool safety.

Inside the Pool Enclosure

This is not the place for any type of furniture, as an accident could easily occur and that includes the BBQ and any other non-essential item. The only things that should be in the enclosure are pool cleaning & filtration equipment and any permanent slide fixture, even washing lines should be outside of the pool area. There must be a legible CPR sign inside the pool enclosure, which shows how to perform CPR, should the need arise.

Pool Fencing

This should be in good working order and have no gaps larger than 100mm, which includes the space between the bottom of the fence and the ground, while horizontal gaps are not advised, as they might aid a child climbing the barrier. The gate should be outward opening with a self-closing mechanism and the latch must be at east 1500mm from the ground. Never prop open the pool gate, as you might forget and a neighbour’s small child could enter the area.

No-Climb Zone

There should be no objects, man-made or otherwise, within 1200mm of the pool barrier, which might be used by a child to climb over the barrier. This would include trees, shrubs, furniture or anything else, for that matter.

Pool Certification in Australia

Once you have made sure that your pool is ready for an official inspection, contact a company that provides pool inspections in Penrith and make an appointment to have the pool inspected. Once you have the pool compliance certificate, it is valid for 3 years. In the event the pool does not meet the government standards, you will be issued with a non-compliance notice that details what needs to be done to pass and you have 90 days in which to carry out the amendments.

It is very important to ensure safety around your pool and the above information should help you make the right preparations for a pool inspection.