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Is Your Inflatable Pool Kid-Safe?With the temporary inflatable swimming pool becoming an increasingly popular option for keeping children cool and happy during the warmer months, By Latrobe City - 17th September 2010 - Back to News Latrobe City is warning that even these ‘toy’ pools need to comply with safety fencing standards.
Latrobe City mayor, Councillor Kellie O’Callaghan, said that safety standards applied to all swimming pools and spas capable of holding a depth of more than 300mm of water, including temporary ones.
"Any pool, be it permanent or temporary, which is capable of being filled to a depth of 300mm is required to be surrounded by a safety barrier. Pool safety barriers require a building permit and must be designed, constructed, installed and maintained in accordance with building regulations and Australian Standards.
"To increase consumer awareness of the need to fence inflatable pools that come under this legislation, Kidsafe Victoria and Life Saving Victoria have released a downloadable safety information pack for retailers and hope that by launching a campaign to ensure that such pools are sold with adequate labelling, that consumers will get the message that these products must be fenced," Cr O’Callaghan said.
"Latrobe City Council has a duty of care to ensure that the safety of young children is not compromised and therefore our building inspectors carry out random inspections to ensure that swimming pools are provided with barriers to resist young children's unsupervised access.
"If you are buying an inflatable pool, or if you are selling these products, it is vital that you are aware of the legal obligations. The clear message must be that planning and building laws require the pool to be fenced before being filled," Cr O’Callaghan explained.
Latrobe City’s municipal building surveyor, Chris Watson, said that council provided a self-assessment sheet to help owners check the requirements on pool safety barriers.
"A barrier may incorporate a fence, wall, screen, gate and the like. Gates and doors must self-close and latch. The self-assessment sheet can be downloaded from council’s website.
"Penalties may apply to those who do not adhere to the required safety standards. We would ask that anybody thinking about buying a pool, temporary or permanent, consult our website for further details, or call us to discuss the requirements," Mr Watson concluded.
For more information on constructing safety barriers for pools, visit Latrobe City’s website at www.latrobe.vic.gov.au/Services/Building/PoolAndSpa/, or contact council on 1300 367 700.
For more information on safety around inflatable pools, or to download the information kit, visit the Kidsafe website at www.kidsafevic.com.au/images/stories/pdfs/Kidsafe_factsheet-Inflatable%20Above-Ground%20Swimming%20Pool%20safety.pdf.
Media Enquiries:
Vicky Daddo, Media Relations Officer
Telephone: 5128 5346 or 5126 5458 or 0407 862 977
Jacinta Kennedy, Manager Community Relations
Telephone: 5128 5421 or 0401 824 195
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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