Swimming pools and spas
For many Victorians, swimming pools are an added attraction to a home or building, especially during summer. However, every summer also sees a number of swimming pool drownings, particularly of young children. In the past 10 years, there has been a gradual downward trend with only one toddler victim last year. Many factors contributed to reducing the number of pool tragedies with one of them being tighter building laws.
Pool and spa owners in Victoria are now required by law to comply with government standards and regulations, including installing and maintaining pool fences, self-closing and self-latching gates and other safety measures covering the entire pool enclosure area - no matter when they were built.
Pool owners who do not comply face a maximum fine of $5,000. Local councils also play an important role in policing pool safety and can issue on-the-spot fines of $200 for breaches of the regulations. In addition, penalties of up to $10,000 are prescribed under the Building Act 1993 for failure to adhere to building regulations.
Aside from regulations, there is ongoing care and maintenance that you should follow to ensure a safer pool or spa. At the very least, you should:
- Maintain gates and fences regularly.
- Fit correct safety measures to gates, doors and windows such as self-closers, latches, fly screens, catches and bolts.
- Ensure no tree branches, pot plants, or other items that could be used to climb the barrier to access the swimming pool or spa are within a 1.2m radius of the safety barrier.
- Check that any chairs, boxes, pool pumps, or other items that could be used to climb the barrier to access the swimming pool are removed.
- Make sure any fences (especially timber paling fences) are still in good repair and non-climbable.
- Ensure all gates and doors that provide access to the swimming pool or spa are closed at all times, except when entering or leaving the area.
- Make sure that the neighbours' properties backing on to your swimming pool or spa have no potential hazards.
