The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) is calling on homeowners to ensure their swimming pool or spa is installed by a registered building practitioner and has a compliant safety fence, to avoid tragedy this summer.
Executive Director of Regulatory Operations at VBA, David Brockman said that with a rise in unregistered people advertising their services through online marketplaces and apps, it was vital that owners checked their practitioners were registered.
“Making sure a registered building practitioner has installed your pool or pool fence is vital,” Mr Brockman said, “don’t let just anyone be responsible for the safety of your family.”
“Just one drowning death is too many, and in Victoria in the last two decades 20 children have drowned in cases where a non-compliant safety barrier has been a factor,” he said.
“In Victoria, all swimming pools capable of holding water more than 300 millimetres deep must have a compliant safety barrier to restrict access to the pool area by young children.”
Mr Brockman said the design, construction and installation of new swimming pools, spas and safety barriers were subject to strict requirements to maximise safety, including being constructed by a builder registered in an appropriate category or class.
He said pool safety barriers must include self-latching and self-closing pool gates.
“The standards indicate an outdoor pool or spa area must not be directly accessible via a building,” the Executive Director said.
“Individuals and families need to make sure they have compliant safety barriers installed this summer,” he said.
Further information on pool and spa safety can be accessed at this PS News link.
