Safety First & Foremost for Pool Fences

At Clearly Glass we believe it is vitally important to be more than safe.

Our pool fences more than comply with the legislation and we take the responsibility of keeping up to date very seriously.  It is an area that has had recent changes to the legal requirements and it is important as the property owner to be familiar with all your obligations.  It is not just as easy as a self closing door and a high enough fence.  There are many aspects to consider.  The potential for toe holds, distance from the pool and any surrounding structures are just a few of the common traps that many fall into.  Nothing is more important than friends, family and neighbours.  Don’t take a chance.   Make sure your pool fence is not just legal but as safe as it can be.

Queensland’s swimming pool safety laws have undergone their most comprehensive review in nearly 20 years.

Thirty- five children under the age of 5 drowned in Queensland’s residential swimming pools between 2004 and May 2010 as well as two drownings in wading pools and one in a home-made pool.

Data from the Commission of Children, Young People and the Child Guardian show that drowning is the leading cause of death in Queensland for children aged one to four, at 5.2 per 100 000, including 4 per 100 000 in pools. In addition it is estimated that 50 children attend emergency departments each year due to immersion injuries, some of whom will suffer permanent brain damage.

It is widely acknowledged that supervision is the first line of protection for children. However, an effective pool barrier provides added protection.  Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit research in 2002 revealed at least 70 people are alive today because of the introduction of pool fencing laws in the early 1990s.

The final legislation component of the Pool Safety was introduced into the Queensland Parliament in Aug 19, 2010 and has yet to be debated.

In summary the Bill includes provisions to:

• introduce mandatory pool safety inspections triggered by the sale and lease of properties with pools, including the provision of pool safety and compliance information as part of the sale and lease process
• extend the pool safety laws to include pools associated with hotels, motels, other residential buildings, caretaker residences, caravan parks and indoor pools
• reduce the maximum depth of portable pools not requiring a compliant pool fence from 450 mm to 300 mm
• require mandatory reporting to Queensland Health by public and private hospitals and the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) of immersion incidents involving young children
• remove existing Local Government exemptions, other than exemptions where a person has a disability
• introduce the ability to seek an exemption where complying with the new pool safety standard proves to be physically impractical.

This standard is not proposed to commence until later in 2010. The department is working with relevant training organisations and other key stakeholders to establish a licensing system and register.