There are certain Municipal Pool Safety Regulations in place that the owner of a swimming pool has to comply with.
The current regulations that an owner of a swimming pool must comply with is: Regulation D4 of SANS 10400-D which stipulates that “The owner of any site which contains a swimming pool shall ensure that public access to such swimming pool is controlled” and that any owner who fails to comply with this requirement shall be guilty of an offence. In terms of Part D of the regulations: Public Safety, a wall or fence must be erected around a property with a swimming pool to ensure that no person can have access to such a pool other than by means of a self-closing / latching gate.
These requirements form part of the SANS 10134, an SABS standard that was last updated in 2008.
New safety regulations are now being drafted that stipulates that a fence or wall will no longer be sufficient and that a safety net or pool cover will now be a requirement in order to prevent drowning incidents.
These requirements include:
1) Private swimming pools that contains more than 30 cm of water should contain a safety net or pool cover that is installed by an accredited pool company and not a mere DIY project.
2) Should rainwater enter through a pool cover for longer than 5 minutes, the pool cover will be disqualified
3) A pool cover or safety net will be disqualified if a child can unfasten such cover.
4) The pool cover or safety net should contain a safety lock that is not easily accessible.
5) Larger pools requires a pool cover or safety net that can hold a weight of up to at least 220 kg. This is to allow for a rescue operation of at least 2 adults and a child.
6) For smaller pools, which is less than 2 - 4m at its widest point, the weight requirement is 125 kg in order to hold one adult and a child.
7) Regular inspection of a pool by an accredited pool company to determine its safety.
8) Swimming pool equipment such as a leaf pole should also be close to the pool in order to aid a distressed person in the water.
9) Fences or walls around the pool should be at least 1.2 m tall with a 50cm foundation in order to ensure that a child cannot easily climb over.
These requirements will not only be applicable to property owners but will include tenants or occupiers, who will have an additional obligation not to allow water in an unsafe pool.
