Updated September 2021

 

Have or want to have a

  • deck or balcony directly adjacent to your pool area?
  • deck or balcony situated above your pool?
  • stairs close to the pool area?

Don’t risk it! Non compliant stairs, decks and balconies allow plenty of unsuspecting access points into the pool area. Avoid the costly and risky pitfalls with the ultimate Pool Safety Guide To Decks, Balconies & Stairs.

 

Pool Safety Always Starts With Children

Kids are constantly proving how resourceful they are when it comes to getting what they want. Pool safety rules and regulations are designed to prevent access to the pool area – specifically the highest risk for drowning with children aged 0 – 4 years.

Girl-eight-used-friend-ladder-open-pool-gate-dailymail.co.uk-feature

Read “Every parent’s worst nightmare: Gold Coast radio star catches girl, eight, using her five-year-old daughter as a step ladder to open a secure pool gate” >here.

 

 

 

 

 

The rules and regulations of the Australian Swimming Pools Act 1992 focus on all accessible points into the pool area where the ultimate defences against children drownings around the pool relies upon

  • the NCZ non climbable zone
  • pool fences & barriers
  • pool gate latch safety, and
  • correct CPR Signage 

 

As homeowners look to extend their lifestyle with decks and balconies above or adjacent to the pool area, the pool safety risks grow. While decks and balconies offer beautiful views and more space, they also offer more access points to the pool area. Pool safety rules and regulations for decks, balconies and stairs within the pool area and NCZ non climbable zone are designed to minimise those risks.

Confusion exists because the requirements for decks, balustrades and stairs in the Building Act 1984 differs to the Swimming Pool Laws Act 1992. Ultimately, the Swimming Pools Act determines safe and compliant pool fences and barriers.

Your builder needs to know the rules and regulations of the pool laws, otherwise they can’t guarantee your pool is safe or compliant – leading to a bucket load of money being unnecessarily spent. The vital pool safety questions to ask your builder are

Do you know the pool safety laws?

I’m in NSW: what standard do I comply to?

Do you know how to do the rectification works to meet the pool safety laws?

 

What Is A Deck?

Decks are designed as an outside or backyard space, often with a view. An open roofless platform attached to the outside of a building, decks are enclosed by walls or balustrade railing. Decks are typically made of timber, composite and vinyl decking and designed to increase lifestyle space for seating, dining and BBQs. 

 

What Is A Balcony?

Derived from Italian balcone for scaffold, balconies are a platform projecting from the wall of a building supported by columns and enclosed with a balustrade and located above the ground floor.

Commonly, stairs lead from the deck or balcony into the pool. 

 

Why Are Decks, Balconies & Stairs A Pool Safety Problem?

Non compliant stairs, decks and balconies can allow access to the pool by climbing over balustrades or handrails into the pool area.

Sloping barriers of stairs are frequently found close to the retaining walls of pool areas with the top rail often serving as a climbable element to the pool area.

Unsuspecting retaining walls, steps and other level objects can also offer access as climbable elements to the pool area. 

 

The Pool Safety Solutions

To reach compliance, fences often need to move in, the retaining wall moved out or the height of the barrier extended.

ncz-non-climbable-zone-pool-safety-solutions-blog-image

Deck or balcony is less than 1800mm above ground

Balustrades for decks, balconies or stairs must

  • be at least 1200mm tall without any gaps or openings more than 100mm wide, such as between posts or spaces between floors
  • avoid any climbable elements such as horizontal railings located between 900mm of each other.
Deck or balcony has stairs with direct access the pool
  • barrier height of stairs should be 1200mm perpendicular to the top of the barrier
  • deck or balcony floor can not intrude into the NCZ non climbable zone
  • should be 500mm from the barrier with no objects, structures, landscaping or other fixtures within the NCZ

 

Stair railings and sloped balustrades less than 1800mm above ground
  • require a balustrade at least 1200mm tall
  • without any gaps or openings more than 100mm wide
  • should be 500mm from the barrier with no objects, structures, landscaping or other fixtures within the NCZ
When the deck or balcony barrier is adjacent to the pool area

The NCZ non climbable zone of a 900mm arc still stands when 

  • the distance from any part of the floor of the balcony to the finished ground level of the pool area is less than 1800mm, or 
  • the balcony has stairs to the pool
  • should be 500mm from the barrier with no objects, structures, landscaping or other fixtures within the NCZ
When deck or balcony barriers are over a pool area
  • distance from any part of the floor of the balcony to the finished ground level should be at least 1800mm high, or 
  • the deck or balcony should have a 1200mm barrier along the stairs to the pool
When there are retaining walls, steps or level changes in the ground
  • the height of the barrier must be at 1200mm for a distance of 500mm from the step or level changes, and
  • should be 500mm from the barrier with no objects, structures, landscaping or other fixtures within the NCZ
When building near a retaining wall

the NCZ non climbable zone of an 900mm arc still stands


 

Extra Reading

NSWfairtrading-Deck_and_balcony_safety_guide-feature

Download and read through NSW Fair Trading’s Guide to deck and balcony safety >here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Decks, Balcony & Stairs Pool Safety!

 


 

DIY-Pool-Compliance-Inspection-Checklists-pool-safety-solutions-footer

Disclaimer: PoolSS Checklists are a guide only, and does not constitute acknowledgment or approval of compliance or safety. If you check “No” to any of our questions, we recommend you Book An Inspection with a pool safety inspector to carry out an inspection confirming your pool is safe. 

 


Got Questions? We've Got Answers.

 

📚 Put The 'Fun' into Fundamentals

Learn Up
🚧 Pool Fences & Barriers
NCZ Non-Climbable Zone
🔐 Pool Gate Latch

🛑 Pool Signage

 

 

📏 Get out the measuring tape

DIY Pool Safety
💙 The Ultimate PoolSS Safety Checklist 

🔓 Achievement unlocked 

All The Free Stuff
🏆 PoolSS Safety Resources

🤓 PoolSS Legal Centre

error: Content is protected !!