On November 2nd, the media was reporting on the drowning incident of two sisters, Taya Young and Patricia Young, in their backyard swimming pool. They were reportedly playing in their swimming pool in their Kingston home in the Logan suburb, when the incident occurred. This tragedy can make us ponder on how to avoid having such an incident occur in pools.
While a lot of Queensland homes are equipped with swimming pools, and most of them are fully fenced, including the Young residence, we still face the question of how safe they are.
As a responsible building and pool safety inspection company, we have drawn up a pool safety checklist here for all our readers.
Pool Safety Checklist
- Where do the pool gates open? Do they open away from the pool?
- Is the top of the gate latch 1500 mm away from the ground?
- Can the gate pull free easily? Will the gate self-close from any position, in its full-operational arc?
- Where are the hinges located? Are they 900 mm and apart? If they are less than 900 mm apart, are they capped?
- Check if there are any gaps in the fence with a width of more than 100 mm
- Is the inside of the fence showing a clear distance of 300 mm?
- Is there a gap of more than or about 100 mm under the fence?
- Does the fence hold a minimum 1200 mm of height?
- Does the pool have a climbable stump or tree branch, within 900 mm on the outside of the fence?
- Is there a climbable object or pot plant on any side on the fence, or close by?
- Are there any horizontal footholds on the fence, more than 10 mm in width?
- From the top of the pool fence, are the rails of the boundary fence, more than 900 mm?
- Is there a fence in front of the pool barring entry from the gate of the house?
- Are there any holes or rails or broken posts in the pool fence?
Besides the above, the hinges, latches, rails and screws must be checked. They should be tight and secure. A CPR sign must be on display; undamaged and clearly visible even from a distance.
Any home equipped with a swimming pool, by all means, must follow this checklist if they wish to prevent any accidents.
Here is to a safe future for all our children in Queensland!