Knox City Council is encouraging locals to complete simple checks for pool or spa safety barriers to help find and fix important safety issues.
Faulty or non-compliant barriers are the biggest cause of accidental drowning deaths of children in home pools, the council said in an online statement.
Common issues include a faulty gate latch, and gaps in the barrier.
Drowning continues to be one of the leading causes of accidental death for Australian children under five years of age. In 2022-23, it was reported that 16 Australian children aged 0-4 years drowned, with swimming pools being one of the most common location where these incidents occurred.
Making water safety a priority at home will keep your family safe around pools and spas. This includes ensuring your safety barriers are in good working order to prevent young children from accessing your pool and spa area unsupervised.
Simple checks you can do to find issues with your safety barriers include making sure the gate is self-closing and self-latching, and checking that there are no gaps or spaces in the barrier for children to get through.
Children may use objects such as a tables or chairs to climb over the fence to access the pool. Removing all climbable objects surrounding the safety barriers will prevent this from happening.
When children are playing near water, it is important that an adult is always available to provide constant supervision.
In 2019, the Victorian Government introduced safety standards, requiring all pool and spa owners to register with Council and follow the certification regime. This includes portable pools and spas containing a water depth of more than 30cm. Further information on the safety standards is available on Knox City Council’s swimming pools and spas webpage.
