Common questions from our clients include:
– Do we need a fence for a spa?
– Is a lockable hardcover ok rather than a fence?
– Can a lockable door act as a spa safety barrier?
The short answer: Pool & Spa barriers are required by legislation for any swimming or spa in excess of 300mm in depth and must be maintained for the life of the pool or spa.
The main aim of a spa or pool barrier is to restrict access by unsupervised children, especially those less than 5 years of age, to ensure this there is an Australian Standard (A.S 1926.1-2012) which forms part of the legislation.
A safety barrier can be made of any material that can withstand likely conditions such as weather, pool chemicals, insects, salt water spray, impacts ect. They must have an effective perpendicular min height of 1.2m.
Boundary Fences – Existing boundary fences can be used as a barrier to a solid finished surface and have no climbable elements within 900mm measured from the top of the inside of the fence.
Gates – Gates must open outward (away from the pool or spa area) and must return to closed position and engage the latch automatically from any position. They cannot be re-opened without using the manual release mechanism.
Walls – external walls of a building such as a brick wall can be used as a pool and spa barriers as long as there are no door openings or windows.
Doors – doors are prohibited from opening into a spa area.
Windows – windows are only acceptable when they are totally closed (fixed) and only can be removed using a tool, or fixed to only open a maximum of 100mm.
Please note this is only a general summary of A.S 1926.1 and is current as of August 2016. Please contact us for further information of see the Victoria Building Authority for more details.