HOW TO MAKE YOUR POOL SAFER

A pool can make a great addition to a home, but you also need to learn how to make all types of swimming pools safer to lessen the risk of accidents and to comply with pool safety in the outdoor space. This allows family and friends to better enjoy your pool with you. Here are some pool safety standards that are both cost-effective and simple to do:

One way to address surrounding garden beds close to swimming pools is to remove them. Alternatively, you can also reduce the height of surrounding ground levels and garden beds, or increase the height of the barrier to a minimum of 1200 millimetres above the finished ground level.

When it comes to swimming pool gates, make sure that it doesn’t swing inwards towards the pool area. It helps to install a striker or a latch onto the gate to make the gate self-closing without the use of manual force, thus preventing little children from just jumping in. You can always adjust the self-closing mechanism or replace the hinges to make the gate self-closing. If you notice your gate not closing properly, you can oil the hinges. Lastly, make sure the gate is regularly maintained.

For climbable objects within the 900 millimetres non-climbable zone around your pool area, you can shield these with a non-climbable material such as a flat polycarbonate sheeting, vertical palings or a ‘fillet’ that has an angle of 60 degrees or more. If there are any trees nearby, make sure to trim any branches within 900 millimetres of the pool barrier. If the tree isn’t in your property but in your neighbour’s home, you may need to negotiate with them to have these removed. If vertical gaps are more than 10mm, you can fix a timber wedge fillet at a minimum 60-degree angle along the rails within the non-climbable zone. If there are any climbable vegetation nearby, you can trim this. And for other items within the zone that are climbable, simply remove these.

If there are any windows in your home that access the pool area, then this can be part of the barrier as long as there is a clear drop of 1800mm minimum that goes from the sill to the pool area. This also works if the window sill is 1200mm high on the inside with no climbable objects within the non-climbable area.

Otherwise, if the window doesn’t meet the pool standards then it must be permanently fixed shut with security screens. An alternative would be to use a permanent window chock, only removable by tools such as an allen key, to ensure it isn’t opened wider than 100 mm. Do not use a simple window lock because these can be left unlocked. If these both don’t work, you can use a permanent flyscreen if the height on the inside is greater than 900mm and less than 1200mm.

If there are gaps between louvres, then it must not be greater than 100mm. Louvres must be fixed in place, if they are made of glass then it must pass strength and rigidity requirements. This is because thin glass most likely will not meet the standards.

Cityscapes Pool and Landscapes only cares about the safety of your family and loved ones, contact us today to find out how we can make your outdoor space a safe place.