Swimming pool owners should ensure that appropriate fencing, gates, locks and signs are maintained in the pool area.
Downloads
Private Swimming Pools
Due to Australia's favourable climate, backyard swimming and spa pools are popular for rest and recreation, but their presence brings a number of health and safety risks.
Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death in very young children who lack the cognitive and water skills to deal with the danger.
In NSW, private or ‘backyard’ swimming pool safety is legislated by the Swimming Pools Act 1992 (the Act), the Swimming Pools Regulation 2008 (the Regulation), AS1926.1-2007 Australian Standard – Swimming Pool Safety Part 1: Safety barriers for swimming pools and the Building Code of Australia.
Swimming pool owners should ensure that appropriate fencing, gates, locks and signs are maintained in the pool area and that relevant requirements under the Swimming Pools Act 1992 are met.
The Department of Local Government says that, while fencing may assist in reducing drownings in backyard pools, the most effective safety is for children to be adequately supervised by a parent or another responsible adult.
Spa pools can also pose potential dangers. Access to spa pools by young children is to be restricted by a child-resistant barrier or a lockable child-safe structure (such as a lid) when not in use. Further information about the safe design and construction of spa pools is available from NSW Fair Trading, which has published a safety guide to help avoid entrapment on suction outlets on spa pools. The guide is available on it's website at www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au.
Research conducted on child drownings in backyard swimming pools indicates that the most common contributing factors are unfenced pools and human error (for example, people leaving the gate open, or fences not being maintained in good condition).
Blue Mountains City Council carries out a pro-active inspection program, ensuring that residential pools and spas comply with the safety requirements contained within the Swimming Pools Act 1992. Council hopes to minimise the risk of tragedies occurring, as a result of small children gaining access to backyard swimming pools and spas.
If you would like to arrange a free safety inspection of your swimming pool please call the Environmental Health Team on (02) 4780 5551 or (02) 4780 5480 during office hours. Please note that a satisfactory safety inspection should not be interpreted as a Certificate of Compliance under the Swimming Pools Act 1992. It is only intended to reflect the situation at the time of inspection.
Should you require a Certificate of Compliance for a swimming pool the necessary application form can be accessed in the downloads to the right. A $70 fee is involved for this service.
An initiative of Royal Life Saving and the NSW Government has been to produce the 'Home Pool Safety in a Box' kit which is designed to encourage more home pool owners to learn CPR. It is available by contacting www.royalnsw.com.au. Another initiative is The Keep Watch Home Pool Safety Campaign which reminds every home pool owner to check, fix and maintain their home pool to help eliminate child drowning.
The Department of Local Government has a very informative website that may also be of assistance. See below to access.
Downloads:
For further information on swimming pool safety, refer to the downloads at right.
- Home Swimming Pool Safety Checklist
- Swimming Pool Laws
- CPR Guidelines
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Property Information Enquiry (for Certificate of Compliance)
Recommended Links:
- NSW Division of Local Government - Backyard Swimming Pools
- NSW Legislation - Swimming Pools Act 1992
- NSW Legislation - Swimming Pools Regulation 2008