Swimming Pool Safety : Make Your Pool Safe!  : It's so important and easier than you think!

As parents, grandparents and just members of the community it is important we make our swimming pools, spas and water features safe.   Over the last 25 years, 965 children under the age of five have drowned in Australia. Educating owners on the safety requirements for swimming pools is an important component of the compliance strategy for ensuring community safety. New pool safety laws were introduced in December 2015, requiring all regulated pools to meet a single swimming pool barrier standard. 

In our area The Ipswich City Council has the "Swimming Pool Inspection Program" and it aims to achieve the following outcomes:

• Identify illegal pools without building approval and prompt owners to obtain approval or have the pool decommissioned.
• Identify and remedy pools with non-compliant barriers.
• Educate pool owners on the safety requirements for swimming pools.

What can a pool owner do before Council gets there?

There are five common problem issues you can check around your pool to help make it safe:

• Your pool gate is self-closing and self-latching.
• Your pool fence is at least 1,200mm high from ground level and any gaps in or under the fence are no greater than 100mm.
• There are no items near the fence that could be used to climb over.
• Your CPR sign is the current sign.
• Your pool is registered with the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC).

The Ipswich City Council has a Pool Safety Checklist

Please note: Self-checks are not a substitute for pool inspections and are for education purposes only. Use of this checklist is not acknowledgement of compliance and does not guarantee your pool is compliant with all relevant laws. To ensure compliance and relevant approvals are obtained, you should engage a pool safety inspector to carry out a complete inspection.

What to do if you believe there is an illegal or unsafe pool in your neighbourhood?

• Residents wishing to lodge a complaint about a swimming pool can contact the Ipswich City Council  to voice their concerns about a swimming pool barrier.
• Council investigates all regulated swimming pool complaints, including:
  • Portable/temporary above ground swimming pools and spas deeper than 300mm.
  • All permanent swimming pools and spas (in ground and above ground) on residential land.
  • Immersion incidents that occur in regulated swimming pools.
• The following information will be useful when you are raising pool barrier concerns with Council staff:
  • Property location of the swimming pool/spa.
  • Depth of the swimming pool/spa.
  • Whether the swimming pool/spa currently holds water deeper than 300mm.
  • Concerns regarding the pool/spa barrier.
• If a resident lodges a complaint with Council a compliance officer trained in swimming pool barrier safety will inspect the swimming pool. If any serious breaches of the new standard are identified the pool owner will receive an enforcement notice and may also receive an on-the-spot infringement.
• Non-compliance with the pool safety standard or failing to register your pool with the QBCC can result in penalties of over $2,000.

Pool Safety Certificates

If you are buying a new property or selling you can easily search for a property and view details of the most recent pool safety certificate if one has been issued: 

Check your Property for Valid Safety Certificate