Safety recommendations made to the State Government by building and aquatic industry experts that mandatory inspections of home pool barriers are required to prevent drowning deaths continue to be ignored.
Alongside lack of supervision, lack of maintenance of home pool fencing is a leading factor in drowning deaths of children aged 0-4 in home pools and spas.
The Victorian Swimming Pool and Spa Safety Committee is calling on the Victorian Government to take this last opportunity in the sunset review of the 2006 Building Regulations to commit to mandatory barrier inspections for home pools every three years, and on sale/lease of a property, to ensure that barriers are being properly maintained and prevent further drowning deaths.
This action is supported by multiple coronial inquests, which have included mandatory barrier inspections among their recommendations.
LSV General Manager Government and Industry Relations, Paul Shannon, says that children are drowning in pools that do have safety barriers, but that lack of maintenance has made the pool accessible to the child.
“In nearly 80 per cent of cases in Victoria over the past 10 years where a child drowned in a home pool or spa with a safety barrier in place, lack of maintenance was identified as an issue by the Coroner,” he said.
Examples of this poor maintenance included:
- faulty gate lock
- safety barrier fence not maintained
- adaptations to fence or surrounding area made so it no longer complied with the Australian Standards
- climbing point allowed access to the swimming pool
Mr Shannon says that introducing mandatory barrier inspections will compel homeowners to keep up-to-date with maintenance of their pool safety barrier and help prevent these tragic drowning deaths from occurring.
For further information and interviews contact LSV Media: 0411 193 962
3 comments On Safety recommendations ignored by Government: Mandatory inspections of home pool barriers required to prevent drowning
Hi ,
I agree that manditory ongoing inspections for pools are required, a major problem will be that there are only 600 / 700 licensed Building Inspectors in Victoria.
Starting next year there will be an additional two mandatory building inspections introduced increasing an all ready busy schedule.
If as I believe there are between 150,000 to 200,000 pools in Victoria, I cannot see how with the current number of Inspectors, the additional Inspections can be done, maybe this is why the Government is stalling ?
I agree with this post.. Inspection should be mandatory of home pool barriers to prevent drowning. Most of the drowning cases happen in summer. On the off chance that you possess a swimming pool at your home, at that point establishment of fence is essential so family can enjoy a relaxed and hazard free experience.
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You have to seek permission from government body to build a swimming pool in your backyard. It would provide you the same through few inspections like its distance from your home gate, fence around the pool. Swimming pool deaths are horrible in the country, for which the government has to take harsh steps. If we deliberate here honestly, we can find that there is no meaning if a pool owner is hesitant to build a fence. It can be available with a range of price depending on the type of materials. For better security, install an alarm system at the gate of the fence. It makes sound when your kids want to enter the pool without your notice.