Home pool safety this summer
Published on 17 January 2023
With sunny weather here Whanganui District Council is encouraging pool owners to make sure they understand what they need to do to keep children safe around home pools.
The council’s pool inspector, Tom Martin, says home pools are a fantastic way to cool off and have fun in summer but owning a pool comes with responsibilities, even if there’s no small children at your place.
“If a pool can hold water to a depth of 40 centimetres or more you legally need what’s called a ‘barrier’ surrounding the pool – this rule applies for all pools, including inflatable, portable and kitset pools.”
He says for some pools, the barrier needs to be a fence but for higher pools the sides of the pool can count as the barrier – and no pool fence or consent is needed as long as certain conditions are met.
“If your pool has sides less than 1.2 metres high, you’ll need a pool fence and it has to be 1.2 metres or higher. The rules are a bit different if your pool fence forms part of your boundary fence – in that case, the fence needs to be 1.8 metres or higher.”
People need a building consent for a pool fence at a cost of $320.
“As well as checking the fence is at the correct height, we’ll make sure it has the right sort of gate (opening outwards) and fencing material, and that it meets the standards for any windows and doors opening into the pool area,” Martin says.
When you have a pool you need to make sure there are no climbable objects – such as trees, pot plants and furniture – within 1.2 metres of the barrier. Also, the pool area can’t contain any non-pool related items like clotheslines and vegetable gardens so the pool inspector will look at this as well.
“Paying attention to the condition of pool fencing is also important going forward,” Martin says, “as drownings can happen because there’s a deteriorating fence or gate, latches that fail or even gates that are left propped open.”
Above-ground pools over 1.2 metres high don’t need a fence or building consent as long as they meet certain criteria and there are no climbable objects within 1.2 metres.
“For pools over 1.2 metres high, the pool sides need to be smooth so there’s no projections that can be used as footholds. Also, the ladder or means of getting into the pool needs to be removed whenever the pool isn’t being used.”
These rules also apply to spa pools without lockable lids.
Pool owners are responsible for making sure children are supervised around pools at all times.
Martin says the rules apply regardless of whether you own a property with a pool or rent a property with a pool.
“Please get in touch with the council to arrange a building consent for your pool fence so you can have peace of mind this summer and get on with enjoying all of the fun that a home pool brings.”
To arrange a building consent for your pool fence or to simply ask for advice, phone the council on 06 349 0001 and talk to Tom Martin. You can also check out the ‘Residential pools’ section on the council website: Residential pools Whanganui District Council