Pool Safety
Hannah’s Foundation was formed as a result of a domestic pool drowning and much of our advocacy has been towards the creation of awareness of the risks of backyard pool drownings. Hannah’s Foundation believes strongly in the Royal Life Saving Australia’s “Keep Watch” program principals.
These principals are based around – Supervision, Barriers, Familiarisation and CPR. Over the last few years the wording has changed however hte principal remains the same.
Supervision – is and will always remain the most important method of Drowning Prevention. When dealing with young toddlers the supervision should wherever practical be at arms length. You should always superveyes (supervise) with your eyes not your ears as drowning is silent.
Barriers – A compliant and well maintained barrier – stand alone (4 sided) forms part of a system that aids in the prevention of access to pool areas by young children.
When you have a pool at your home it is important that it is constantly maintained and checked for wear and tear. Children who access a pool and suffer a drowning or injury generally gain access through to the pool by a faulty pool fence or gate. Having a pool fence doesn’t mean your children are automatically safe. These barriers exist purely to help restrict access to the pool area by a child.
As a pool owner you need to be aware of the key areas to look for around a pool fence in order to ensure that it is maintained correctly. The Australian Standards 1926.1 & 2 provide the MINIMUM standards for compliance to prevent access to a pool area.
It is important to remember that these are the minimum standards required and does contain some technical data and understanding. When you look at each area in isolation it does become simpler to understand.
Some of the general standards
The fence must be NO LESS than 1200mm high all the way around the pool from finished ground level.
The gap under the fence and gates must not exceed 100mm from finished ground level.
The distance between bars should not exceed 100mm
The gate latch must be at least 1500mm from finished ground level .
The pool gate must open outwards away from the pool.
The pool gate must close and latch automatically from any open distance ie from a few millimetres open right through the full opening arc. When it closes it must remain close. Where there is a glass pool gate it is important to note the effect that a breeze may have upon it’s ability to close
There should be no climbable objects within 300 mm of the inside of the fence.
Each of the above are part of the minimum standards required for fencing. Whilst a personal inspection may indicate the areas of compliance there is of course no substitute for an inspection by a qualified Inspector (ie Building certifier, Local Council Inspector or if in Queensland a licenced Pool Safety Inspector).
In Queensland with the amalgamation of all previous standards into a one standard the Queensland State Government has prepared Queensland Development Code, Mandatory Part 3.4 which expands on the Australian Standards. This document has a number of diagrams to assist in the understanding of how to apply the legislation to your pool.
Hannah’s Foundation in Queensland works with My Pool Inspection in order to conduct inspections.
Andrew Plint (Hannah’s Father and Founding Director) does inspections in Brisbane, Lockyer, Ipswich & Scenic Rim, Toowoomba Regions) and Keith Tognola (Phillip’s Father) does inspections in the Townsville area and are both licenced Swimming Pool Safety Inspectors and do Inspections on behalf of Hannah’s Foundation. For bookings please call My Pool Inspection 1300 866 463. Andrew totally donates ALL OF THE FEES paid to Hannah’s Foundation.
Water Familiarisation – more commonly referred to as swimming or water survival skills. Familiarisation is much more than that – These are the self rescue skills that each and every person must possess. Whilst swimming forms a part of these skills it is the ability to float on your back and maintain positive airflow. We strongly support those swimming schools that regularly conduct lessons in real life situations – Fully clothed including shoes and socks, cooler or cold water as most home pools have.
CPR – This is your resuscitation skills – If you have a pool or a child then you should have a current 1st Aid Qualification which includes a CPR qualification. When doing CPR it is very important to remember that it may only work 7% of the time you do it but YOU are the victims last chance of survival – Never Give Up – Never Doubt yourself as you can perform a miracle and give back life to a drowning victim.
Pool Legislation
Queensland – Qld has ONLY ONE LAW relating to pools. All pools in Qld must be compliant to the New set standards as passed by Qld Parliament in 2010 by 2015. Homes cannot be sold or rented without a pool safety certificate and owners are responsible for registering their pools on the State Pool Safety register.
NSW is currently undergoing a Swimmings Pools Act review, you can view Hannah’s Foundation submission here at 2012 Hannahs Foundation – Submission Swimming Pools Act Review
Qld Government Pool Safety Campaign
