New laws went into effect in Victoria on December 1 2019, to improve the safety of swimming pools and spas. Owners of the land on which a pool or spa is located are now required to register their pool or spa with their local council.
Owners must also go through an inspection of their safety fences and provide a certificate of barrier compliance to their council. If the safety barrier does not meet the requirements, it is the owner's responsibility to comply with it.
The new law applies to swimming pools and spas that can hold more than 300 mm (30 cm) of water. This includes permanent swimming pools, above-ground swimming pools, indoor swimming pools, hot tubs, bathing pools or children's pools, and some variable pools.
After registering a pool or spa, owners must arrange for a safety barrier inspection by a registered building surveyor or building inspector to determine if the barrier meets the applicable barrier standard. If the inspector determines that the safety barrier complies, a certificate of barrier compliance will be issued. This certificate must be submitted to the council every four years by the owners.
Visual Approvals, building certification software, provides Building Surveyors with the ability to record the issuance of compliance certificates and reminders to contact their clients when the certificates come up for renewal. Surveyors can set reminders to give their clients enough notification lead time to ensure their safety barrier is still compliant, have the safety barrier inspected and certificate issued within the renewal window.
To find out how Visual Approvals can help Building Surveyors streamline the pool and spa safety barrier compliance process for their clients, please contact us.