Swimming Pool Safety   

With over 2500 residential swimming pools in the City of Nedlands it is paramount that the safety is in line with the relevant legislation. Many Australian families have backyard pools, it is always important to remember that drowning is the biggest cause of accidental death from zero- to five-year-olds. 

Swimming pool barriers must be inspected for safety and compliance and assessed against the Australian Standard AS 1926.1.  The City is bound by legislation that requires every swimming pool in the City to be inspected by an authorised person, once every 4 years, to ensure safety is maintained to the currently adopted Australian Standard.  

Common problems encountered during the City's inspection program 

Below is a quick snapshot of some of the main points of the Swimming Pool Regulations looked at by inspectors. 

• Gates must be self-closing and latch from all positions with no momentum used to aid the closure. 
• Fence height at a minimum height of 1200mm. 
• Pool gate to swing away from pool area. 

• Gate latch to be at, at least 1500 mm high from finished ground level (or shielded on the inside of gate, at least 300mm down). 
• No gaps greater than 100mm. 
• Windows which open onto pool area can only open a maximum of 100mm (or have a protective screen in place, fly screen is not enough. Restriction should require the use of a tool to take it off, keyed locking mechanism is also not acceptable). 
• No climbable objects, handholds or footholds can be located within the ‘non-climbable zones’ (NCZ1-4) located on the pool barrier. Climbable objects include anything with a horizontal surface depth greater than 10mm, including (but not limited to) barbecues, pot plants, taps and windowsills. 
• There can be no climbable objects, steps, retaining walls or ground level changes within 500mm of the barrier. 

• There can be no climbable objects or components located within the 900mm ‘non-climbable zone’ (NCZ5) on the boundary fence. Items that may cause compliance issues include (but are not limited to) lattice, fence infill panels, thick plant, or tree branches. 
• Where a boundary fence forms part of the pool barrier, there must be at least an 1800mm drop from the top of the fence to the finished ground level on the pool side of the barrier. Finished ground level applies to any permanent stable surface and can include raised garden beds, pool equipment enclosures and the like. 

 

Pool Safety Brochure 

The City produces a quick guide brochure to assist you in understanding the requirements of your barrier inspection. To view the brochure click on the download link – Swimming Pool Safety Brochure  

Building or Constructing a Swimming Pool 

If you are installing a new pool, you will need to apply for a building permit for the pool and the pool fence.  

Please note if the company installing the pool is not the same as the one installing the fence, then a separate application needs to be submitted. 

Please refer to Building Services – Applying for a permit – section of the web site for information on applying for a building permit. 

For further information on the rules and regulations surrounding pool barrier please click on the link that will take you to the DMIRS Rules for Pools Brochure created by the state government.