The Standard for pool fencing height under AS1926.1—1993 states that “effective fencing height shall be not less than 1.2m and be considered to be effective if a quadrant of radius 1.2m provides a clear span of 1.2m to finished ground level, or to any objects from, or objects on, the ground, except for non-climbable objects which are able to be positioned within the 1.2m radius.”
I’ve recently seen instances where poles (generally used for securing shade cloth sails) are located outside the pool barrier but within the 1.2m quadrant.
The definition of non-climbable zone is “a part of the barrier in which there are no handholds or footholds or other aids for climbing”. A foothold/handhold is considered climbable if it has projections and/or indentations with horizontal surfaces with a depth greater than 10mm, and if they are greater than 10mm, there are minimum required distances between the projections/indentations.
While undertaking a pool barrier compliance inspection in Bannockburn recently the shade cloth poles were within the barrier’s non-climbable zone, but because there were no projections and/or indentations within the 1.2m quadrant, the poles were not considered a climbable structure.
