Pool Fence Regulations NSW Q&A Series No3: Answers to "Why" Questions

Ensuring the safety of your swimming pool is very vital. By obeying pool compliance regulation in NSW, you can not only avoid massive penalties, but also protect your family from fatal danger, especially your kids.

Accidental tripping and falling into the pool may cause severe injuries while installing safety barriers can reduce the risks for your children to slip around the surface of the pool. Therefore, pool fence must be properly built around the pool area in order to avoid unsupervised access which may lead to some serious pool accidents.

Having a pool fence means that you are abiding the local government regulations. For your reference, here are some answers to the most popular questions pool owners ask about thepool safety regulation.

1. Why is pool safety important?

Royal Life Saving Australia reported that total pool drownings each year had increased by 22%. The majority of child drownings occur in private/indoor swimming pools. Unsupervised kids, non-compliant pool fencing and lack of emergency care are the main reasons for drowning.

Reasons of drowning:

  • Lack of supervision caused 59% of drowning cases.

  • 30% to 33% of children that were left unattended for 3 to 5 minutes caused the child’s drowning.

  • Absence of compliant pool fence has caused 27% of death cases.

  • Children gained access to pools due to a faulty fence or pool barriers were open.

Complying with the latest pool regulation NSW is essential to protect pool users especially kids from any harm in the pool. Adult supervision and compliant pool fence reduce these kinds of accidents in the pool.

2. Why do you have to install a fence around the pool?

In NSW, pool death rates of small kids have increased. With these, pool fence regulation has been modified to increase the protection of young children.

Pool drowning deaths can be avoided by installing a fence. All pool barriers should be sturdy and long-lasting. Here are 3 reasons why you have to install a fence.

No1. Safety around the pool

Safety is the first and foremost reason to construct pool fence. Kids playing in swimming pools are exposed to danger if your pool is not compliant with the pool fence regulation. Installing pool fence protects young children from any incidents that may happen.

No2. Maintaining the beauty of your pool

Fences are not only needed to have a safe pool area, but it can also make your pool become more attractive. There are various kinds of beautiful pool fences that you can choose from.

  • A mesh pool fencing is transparent. Its transparency enables the sparkle of glittering waters of your pool to be visible. It can also look trendy, with chic black mesh and sensible black poles in between.

  • A glass fence is made from tempered glass thus it is durable. Some pool owners prefer these barriers because it is transparent.

  • An aluminium fence has been the popular choice for many households because it can serve as a décor. It also doesn’t need much maintenance due to its durability.

Your pool can look good by building pool fence around it because of yje style and design added to your swimming pool. Having a pool fence also adds visual attraction in the pool area.

No3. Legal requirements

Swimming Pools Act 1992 states that pool owners must install a pool fence. Your safety barriers should meet pool fencing requirements. Homeowners who have the non-compliant fence installation are subject to penalties up to $5,500.

Pool owners must also follow the NCZ or Non-Climbable Zone rule. This rule prevents children from climbing to an object that can help them gain access to the pool.

3. Why do you need to remove climbable vegetation from both sides of the pool barriers?

As pool owners, making sure that your pool fence is safe are super essential. Climbable vegetation, plant, tree, and branches should be removed from the pool fence to prevent kids from climbing on it.

In addition, outdoor furniture, pot plants, taps, barbeques and other objects that are located within 900mm non-climbable zone (NCZ) should also be removed.

4. Why does pool gate have to open outwards?

When building your pool fence, make sure that your self-closing gate will swing outward and away from the pool at all times. A gate that opens inward can be dangerous because it can allow children to jump right into the water upon entry.

Conclusion

The safety of swimming pools is the top responsibility of all pool owners. Incidents may occur anytime in the pool. To ensure complying with the latest pool fence compliance regulation in NSW, you can contact an experienced pool inspection certifier for help. Therefore, you can reassure that your family is safe and secured in the pool.