Updated guidelines
The following guidelines have been updated to address common enquiries received from building certifiers, incorporate feedback from peak industry bodies, and reflect the Building Regulation 2021 (BR):
Guideline for pool safety inspectors
Guideline for pool owners and property agents
Local government swimming pool safety guideline.
What has changed?
The updates include:
restructuring the guidelines so information is grouped in a logical, consistent manner across all three guidelines
removing historical information about the development of current pool safety laws as these laws have been in place for over 10 years
removing the reference to the advisory function of pool safety inspectors as this is not reflected in the legislation
adding an explanation of what a ‘regulated pool’ is
clarifying and correcting information regarding:
the role of pool safety inspectors
the role of local government in supporting regulated pool safety, including the
requirement to inspect pools, the types of inspections they may conduct, and their role in cancelling a pool safety certificate
the role of building certifiers in assessing compliance with the pool safety standard
the role of property agents in attending to pool safety matters on behalf of property owners
the difference between the regulated pools register and the pool safety inspectors register
the inspection process, including when a pool owner may change pool safety inspectors, and what happens when a nonconformity notice, or pool safety certificate, is issued
the use of temporary fencing
dividing fences, including the rights and responsibilities of owners, how to apportion costs, and how to address disputes
minor repairs, maintenance and non-climbable zone works, and other work on a pool barrier
the sale and lease compliance system for non-shared pools.
All three updated guidelines also contain updated legislative references to match the BR.
The updated guidelines take effect from 10 June 2024.
Resources
For more information please visit the Pool safety laws webpage on the Business Queensland website.
For More Information
Spiros Dassakis
Chief Policy Officer
Email: spiros@spasa.com.au