Important Things to Know About Pool Safety Inspection
So, what is a Pool Safety Inspections? A Pool Safety inspection focuses on the Pool fence and ensuring its safe and constructed within the pool fence regulations to ensure no children can enter a swimming pool area without supervision.
Avoiding Drowning Incidents
The average age of children drownings is from 1-5 years of age. You can see that at this age children really don’t understand the risks of danger and what could happen if they enter a swimming pool area unsupervised. It may be for a simple thing to get a ball that fell in the pool.
Ensuring Pool Safety and Avoiding Accidents
Most times these accidents happen when you least expect it. Mums and Dads are busy doing the day-to-day chores and children are playing outside keeping them self-entertained.
A family member drowning or anyone for that fact could be the worst thing that could happen emotionally let alone the legal implications of a drowning in your pool if the pool fence did not comply to the regulations.
NSW Government Safety Requirements
The NSW government has put in some controls and steps to help reduce the risk of Drownings by adding rules homeowners need to obey bye.
A Pool safety inspection should be referred to more as a Pool barrier inspection because that is what is inspected. The Pool barrier is extensively inspected to ensure it complies with the relevant standard and if not, you would be given a notice on what needs to be fixed.
Once you have fixed the items identified the pool will be re-inspected and if compliant you will be issued with a swimming pool compliance certificate. So, you’re thinking it would be a good idea to have your pool checked over. Great idea!
NSW Pool Register
NSW Pool Register Website
First and foremost, please go to the NSW pool register on https://www.swimmingpoolregister.nsw.gov.au/.
Registering the Pool is quite easy. Just follow the instructions and the pool will be registered. There is even check list that are provided that you can do your own basic check or the pool barrier.
These Checklist are just basic checks and not 100 percent correct in many instances.
Once your pool is registered now you can arrange a Pool Safety inspection. You can either call us and we can do the inspection for you or find a local member you can use. The Pool register has Registered Pool inspector list you could select from or alternatively you can contact your local council to inspect for you?
How long does a pool safety certification last?
A pool safety certification will last 3 years.
What’s the difference between using a Private Pool inspector or your local council member?
Well let’s start from my experience. I was trained by an extremely knowledgeable instructor who is a guru with Pool barrier safety inspections. He trains most councils and is the guy they use for consultation.
Now without sounding up myself I’m a licensed builder and do construction and property inspections on a daily basis reading and interpreting Australian standards and acts on the daily so when doing this Pool barrier training a found it quite easy! So much so the trainer and I would have quite in-depth conversations on how things would be interpreted from the regulations and the Australian Standards.
Clear View’s Robert Inspecting a Client’s Pool
The trainer felt I was very capable but his said my approach to inspections was wrong! Why I said? He said you and many other Builders I have trained who move into swimming pool barrier certifications do inspections with the Mindset of finding a way to make the barrier comply (within the rules of course) where as the council inspectors are taught to find a way to make the swimming pool not comply.
I found this so true throughout my dealings with the local councils. There sole objective with whatever inspection they do is to find something wrong and not pass it.
Where are Builder is use to fixing things and working out methods of making things work. That is my method. When I do a pool fence inspection, I’m looking at the regulations I’m bound by but also looking at other regulations I could use to help me comply by. The NSW swimming pool act, regulations and Australian standards 1926.1 has many clauses, exemptions and rules that can be utilised for many different scenarios.
Don’t get me wrong the swimming pool barrier has to be safe first and foremost but if I can make my clients job easier to make the Pool safe and complaint to the Pool fence regulations that is what I will be doing.
Unlike Local council this is a business for me and the sole purpose of my business is to provide an exceptional service for my customers and that’s what we do here at Clear View Property Inspections.
Once you have had your inspection to your Pool it may be all good and complaint to the Pool fence regulations and you will be issues with a Pool fence certification, if your pool did not meet the Pool fence regulations you may have a few things to fix. Quickly arrange the items you need to fix and have your pool reinspected.
Finally, you’re issued with your Pool safety certification.
Please don’t just switch off now! Pools require maintenance and that is your responsibility.
Ensure you regularly check your pool gates are still self-closing and self-locking as that is the easiest way a child can access your pool.
Ensure no stored furniture, chairs or climbable objects are against the pool as that is another easy access point for children.
I hope you enjoyed our little write up. For your swimming pool inspections in Sydney please call Robert from Clear View Property Inspections on 02 8329 7997!
