Update: 11 October 2021

New compliance certificate dates were deemed necessary to ensure that pool inspections can be done in an orderly and timely manner during the pandemic.

Compliance certificate must be lodged by:

• 1 June 2022 if pool/spa construction date = On or before 30 June 1994

• 1 June 2023 if pool/spa construction date = between 1 July 1994 until 30 April 2010

• 1 June 2024 if pool/spa construction date = between 1 May 2010 until 31 October 2020

Every pool & spa must have a barrier and every child must be supervised. It only takes a few minutes for pool owners to check that their pool fences and gates, including latches and hinges, are in good working order. This simple routine done regularly could save the life of a child.

Pool and spa fences and barriers are required by legislation for any swimming pool or spa in excess of 300mm (30cm) in depth and must be maintained for the life of the pool or spa, this includes keeping the area around the safety barrier, free from climbable objects or plants that can be used to gain access to the pool area.

The key elements of the relevant Australian Standards are designed to restrict access by unsupervised young children, especially those under 5 years of age, to the swimming pool area.

*IMPORTANT: This is general safety information, Please make sure you are compliant with your local council and State govt. regulations.

SAFETY BARRIERS

• Essentially, a safety barrier can be made of any material that has a reasonable life span when exposed to the likely conditions of weather, pool chemicals, pollution, decay, insects, salt water spray, impacts, etc.

• Safety barriers must have an effective perpendicular minimum height of 1.2 metres.

• Existing boundary fences can be used as a safety barrier provided that they are well maintained, at least 1800mm high measured on the inside of the barrier to a solid finished surface and have no climbable elements within 900mm measured from the top of the inside of the fence.

GATES

• These must open outward only (away from the pool area) and have an effective perpendicular minimum height of 1.2 metres.

• They must return to the closed position and engage the latch automatically from any position and not re-open without using the manual release mechanism.

• The latch release must be at least 1.5 metres above ground level unless it

  • (i) is inside the fence

  • (ii) can only be reached over or through a fence higher than 1.2 metres or

  • (iii) is 300mm below the fence top (no hand hole) or at least 150mm away from the edge of any hand hole opening.

• Latch releases less than 1.5 metres above ground level must be shielded so that no opening greater than 10mm is closer than 450mm.

• Any hand hole shall be at least 1.2 metres above ground level.

WALLS

• External walls of a building can be used as swimming pool barriers so long as they do not contain any doors opening into the pool area and windows are treated to prevent access to the pool area.

DOORS & WINDOWS

• Doors from a dwelling are prohibited from opening into a swimming pool area. The only exception is for doors opening directly to an indoor swimming pool or spa.

• Acceptable window fixing treatments are as follows:

• Those totally enclosed by screw fixed security screens that can only be removed by the use of a tool

• Those that are fixed so the window cannot open more than 100mm max

• Those with a lowest opening panel not less than 1.8 above the ground level to the pool area

• Those that have firm fixed metal fly-wire installed that is fixed to the building with fasteners that can only be removed by the use of a tool

We have a number of contacts for pool safety inspections, professional licensed fence builders as well as many gate, hinge and latch spare parts. Please contact us if you’re unsure if your pool fences & gates are up to standard.

NEW VICTORIAN SWIMMING POOL & SPA SAFETY LAWS

On 1 December 2019, new laws to improve swimming pool and spa safety came into effect in Victoria. It is now mandatory for owners of land where a swimming pool or spa is located to register their pool or spa with the relevant council.

Owners are also required to have their safety barriers inspected and to lodge a certificate of barrier compliance with their council. If a safety barrier is not compliant, it is the owner’s responsibility to make the barrier compliant.