Swimming pool and spa safety
1. Do swimming pools and spas need to be installed by registered building practitioners?
Installing a pool or spa involves a number of specialised trades and techniques. You may engage a registered building practitioner or choose to undertake the work yourself as an owner-builder. If you engage a Registered Building Practitioner to undertake the work they must provide you with a major domestic building contract (over $5,000), and provide domestic building insurance (over $12,000). If you undertake the work as an owner-builder, you need to obtain a Certificate of Consent by reading and completing the Owner-builder Application Kit.
2. Do you need building permits?
Yes. All swimming pools and spas including above ground and inflatable pools greater than 300mm in depth require a building permit in order to undertake construction or installation work. In the case of inflatable pools, a building permit is required to be obtained for the initial installation, however, provided that the safety barriers surrounding it are permanent and maintained, the pool can subsequently be removed and re-installed in the same position each summer without further building permits.
3. What are the requirements for fencing an above-ground swimming pool or spa?
Above-ground swimming pools and spas are required to have permanent safety barriers in the same manner as in-ground pools and spas, however, the walls of an above-ground swimming pool or spa provide a barrier if they are at least 1.2m in height and do not have a surface which enables a child to gain a foothold and climb into the swimming pool or spa. Any objects that could be climbable by a young child, such as a pool ladder, pool filter, pump equipment or plumbing connection into the side of the pool, should be properly fenced or otherwise isolated.
4. Do inflatable swimming pools need fencing?
An inflatable swimming pool, which is capable of containing a depth of water greater than 300 mm, requires a safety barrier. This may be typical swimming pool fencing, boundary fencing with additional consideration and/or treatment to gates, fences etc, the walls of the house with additional consideration and/or treatment to doors and windows etc, or any combination of these, as approved by a Council or private Building Surveyor.
5. Does the cover over the swimming pool or spa comply with the legislation?
The placing of a cover or lid over the swimming pool or spa does not comply and is not acceptable. A safety barrier is required.
6. How do I know if the barrier around the swimming pool complies with the law?
The municipal building surveyor or any private building surveyor can provide written details of what is required for compliance usually on a fee for service basis. If there is any doubt about compliance, it is recommended that owners have their pool area checked and approved, as the Building Regulations require proper barriers to be in place and that these are maintained for ALL swimming pools and spas, regardless of when they were installed or constructed.
7. If there is a doorway leading into a pool area, and the opening contains a solid door as well as a flywire door. Which door must comply with the Regulations?
It is only necessary to fit child-resistant door furniture to one of the doors. In choosing which door, you must ensure that access will be restricted to the pool area, and that the door will form part of the continuous pool barrier. In the case where the door chosen is a screen door, this door must be of solid construction with securely fitted fly wire. Generally this will need to be a security-type door with a metal mesh grill. The door must be kept closed and latched or locked at all times, except when a person is in the act of entering or leaving the pool area.
8. Do bi-fold doors comply with the pool safety barrier requirements?
A standard bi-fold door does not comply with the requirements of Australian Standard AS1926.1. Some of the requirements of AS1926.1 include all doorsets used as pool barriers to be self-latching and self-closing and the release of the latching device on the internal side of the door must be at least 1.5m above the floor. If the bi-fold door does not comply with all the requirements as set out in the standard, you will need to install a compliant safety fence between the doors and the swimming pool. Similar requirements apply to French door sets and the door furniture. Latch arrangements should be confirmed with the Building Surveyor who issued the building permit for the pool prior to installation.
