Your swimming pool can provide lots of fun to you, your family and friends ect. Swimming is also an excellent way to stay fit and keep healthy. However, pools may also lead to illness, injuries and even death when health and safety are not taken into consideration.
Why getting a pool certifier to inspect the pool
Residential pool or spa inspection is vital to ensure your safety and the longevity of the pool, which will save you more money in the future. Having your pool inspected allows you to minimise risk of potential injury due to malfunctioning equipment or unsafe conditions.
A pool inspection involves the safety features such as pool fences, child safety gates, alarms and doors. It is important to maintain your pool to protect swimmers from harmful bacteria and avoid potential injuries. Make safety a priority by setting up and following the pool rules below.
Swimming pool act NSW
The Law states that pool owner can ask an accredited certifier to provide a Certificate of Compliance for your swimming pool. You must be able to comply with the swimming pool regulation in NSW.
However, if your pool does not meet the applicable standard, private certifier may give you 6 weeks to rectify the deficiencies before advising Council.
If the pool is considered to be a significant public hazard the certifier may notify the council immediately. Upon notification, Council may commence compliance action
Things to be inspected
Swimming pool requirements vary from different state. New South Wales government has a pool safety regulation checklist that outlines standards that you should expect from an pool inspection. They include the following:
Fences: Construction of visible foundation, sturdiness, and fence alignment
Trees and bushes: Trimming or removal of any things that are inside the Non-Climbable Zone (NCZ)
Exterior surfaces: Correct clearance between ground and siding material, condition of exterior paint or siding, and properly working lights and electrical outlets
Pool gate: Pool gate should be installed with safety latches.
Windows: Windows should not be opened more than 100 mm.
Ground: Pool barriers must be 1800 mm high from pool area.
Working condition: Pool gates should be well maintained at all times.
How to find a good pool inspector
Make sure you are comfortable with your choice of pool inspector. They are very important and can help you detect and avoid major pitfalls in your swimming pool.
NSW pool register provide a list of accredited certifier. You can search a pool inspector from the list.
Ask friends and family. If you know anyone who has recently gone through the pool inspection, they may have a good recommendation.
Look for accredited affiliations. Consumers should look for an inspector who has an affiliation with groups such as the NSW government and NSW pool register. These sites have a 'find an inspector' service to help you locate a certifier in your area.
Use search engine such as Google and use various keywords to search and find someone in your local area that have inspected many swimming pools and have lots of positive feedback from their customers.
Making your swimming pool compliant with the local regulation requires a lot of time and effort. You may need a pool inspector to help make sure your pool is safe and avoid the penality. Be sure to educate yourself about the process and find a pool certifier you can trust by following the tips above
Conclusion
Swimming pools offers relaxation and fun. However, you don’t know whether your pool is truly safe and compliant or not. A professional pool inspector can help you find out and also issue you a certificate of compliance.
In other words, they can help you discover any issues, and resolve them quickly. Pool safety and compliance should always be put to priority, so when you are in doubt, please DO take action now!
If you are in Sydney NSW, My Pool Safety can help you. Just give us a call or shot us an email and we will get back to you ASAP.