Published on Tuesday, 13 March 2018 at 9:26:24 AM
Private swimming pools and spas have never been so popular and with more being installed every week the City is reminding residents they must meet safety laws to prevent small children from drowning.
According to the Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2017, there were 13 swimming pool drowning deaths in children aged 0-4 years in Australia between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017 and for every fatal drowning there were over seven non-fatal drowning incidents, many of which resulted in severe life-long consequences.
City of Greater Geraldton Chief Executive Officer Ross McKim said Australia had some of the world’s toughest pool safety laws and it was the community’s responsibility to abide by them.
“Since the introduction of pool safety laws, which requires a barrier that restricts access by young children to swimming and spa pools, the number of drownings in Australia has greatly reduced,” he said.
“However, ensuring barriers are installed, maintained and operating effectively is the responsibility of private pool and spa owners and occupiers.
The legislation applies to all private swimming or spa pools located indoor or outdoor, in-ground or aboveground, or contain water more than 300mm deep. Inflatable and portable swimming and spa pools and bathing or wading pools are also included as all types of pools are a constant source of danger to young children.
The law requires a fence or barrier must be at least 1200 mm high. Pool gates must open away from the pool or spa and be self-closing and self-latching and any objects that may create a foothold for young children to climb over must not be within 1.2m of the fence.
The City of Greater Geraldton monitors compliance by processing building permit applications for swimming and spa pools and their associated barriers and by conducting mandatory periodic inspections of fences and barriers at least once every four years.
The City is willing to assist residents to ensure their swimming and spa pools are compliant with Australian Standards.
“If you are unsure about the condition of your fence or barrier or an inspection has resulted in a compliance issue the City is always willing to work with owner occupiers to ensure all legislative requirements are met,” Mr McKim said.
“After all, the backyard swimming pool is the single most dangerous water environment for young children and their continued safety is paramount.”
For more information, see the Building Commission’s ‘Rules for Pools and Spas’ online brochure at www.commerce.wa.gov.au/publications/rules-pools-and-spas
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