Pool Barrier Compliance Inspection – Above Ground Spa in Geelong West

Standards AS1926.1-2007, 1993 and 2012 state that for an above ground pool or spa, the walls of the pool/spa can be considered an effective barrier if:

  1. The height of the pool/spa wall is at least 1,200 in height; and
  2. There are no handholds, footholds, objects or plants that can facilitate climbing on the face of the pool/spa wall, and within the other non-climbable zones.

When undertaking pool barrier compliance inspections for prefabricated above ground cedar spas I almost always find stainless steel bands around the wall of the spa with a fixing that facilitates tightening. This fixing is usually greater than 10mm in depth and is therefore considered non-complying because it is a hand/foothold within the vertical plane of the spa wall.

To rectify this non-complying issue, the homeowner fabricated a timber block that is angled at 60 degrees to the horizontal and covered the tightening fixing. The Standard advises that a “barrier component or an item or object on a barrier (in this case the spa wall) is non-climbable if its top surface is sloped at more than 60 degrees to the horizontal”, so the homeowner’s solution rendered the climbable object non-climbable.

As well as addressing other non-complying issues, this modification rectified the issue and allowed the homeowner to achieve compliance of their spa barrier.

cedar spa face with bolt cover for complying pool barrier certification