A Guide to Pool Certification

It matters not where you live in Australia, if you have a pool, then safety certification is a must. Aside from ensuring that the risks of a child or animal drowning are minimised, every state has their own pool safety standards, and with that in mind, here are some important aspects of pool certification that will help you prepare for the certification process.

Pool Compliance/Non-Compliance Certificate

If you plan to sell or lease a property with a pool, it must have either a pool compliance or non-compliance certificate, and with a non-compliance situation, the new owner or tenant would have 90 days to make the amendments and have the pool certified. It is obviously better to have the pool certificate, which can be passed on to the new owner, and the certificate is valid for 3 years, after which, it must be re-inspected. If you are looking for a pool certificate in Sydney, there are state approved poo certification companies who can easily be contacted with an online search.

Pool Compliance

The following aspects must be in place in order for the pool to qualify for certification:

• There must be a visible CPR Notice that can be read from any location within the pool area.
• The pool gate must be outward opening and be of a minimum height of 1200mm, with a self-closing mechanism fitted. The gate release system must be at least 1500mm from the ground to prevent young children opening it and the gate must never be propped open, not matter how inconvenient it might be.
• The pool fencing must be of the minimum height according to the size and the depth of the pool, with no gaps exceeding 100mm, which includes the space between the ground and the bottom of the fencing. The fencing must be in good working order and not liable to fall into disrepair, and for most homeowners, glass fencing is preferred.
• There must be no climbing hazards that would enable a child to climb over the pool fencing, so any items of furniture need to be at least 1200mm from the pool fencing. This includes any vegetation that could be used by a child to negotiate the pool fencing, so prior to booking the pool inspection, have a walk around and make sure the pool barrier does not have objects nearby.
• You are limited to what is allowed to be inside the pool area to items such as a fixed slide, fixed shading and pool filtration equipment. You must remove clothes lines, BBQs and outdoor furniture, as they should not be located inside the pool area.

Once you contact a certified pool inspection company, they will make an appointment to come and inspect the pool and surrounding area, and should everything be OK, they will issue you with a pool compliance certificate. In the event they find an issues, they would make you aware of what needs to be done, and when you have carried out the work, call them and they will inspect one more time.

It is obviously important to ensure that your pool is safe and pool certification gives you peace of mind.