New Rules for NSW Swimming Pools The NSW State Government has introduced new pool safety compliance laws aimed at reducing the incidence of children drowning in backyard pools. The new laws promote the need for regular checks and maintenance of pool safety barriers such as fencing. Whilst this information may not be relevant to you or your insurance arrangements we thought important that you know about the a changes. The Swimming Pools (Amendment) Act 2012 commenced in New South Wales on 29 October 2012 and made a number of amendments to the Swimming Pools Act 1992. These include: • All swimming pool owners in NSW are required to register their swimming pools on an online NSW State Government Register by 29 October 2013. • Swimming Pool owners will be required to self-assess and state in the register that, to the best of their knowledge, their swimming pool complies with the applicable standard when registering their pool; • There is a penalty for owners who fail to register a swimming pool (penalty notice amount of $220); • Swimming pool owners will be required to provide a valid swimming pool compliance certificate before being able to sell or lease a property with a pool from 29 April 2014; • Accredited certifiers under the Building Professional Act 2005 may conduct swimming pool inspections initiated by the pool owner. The above laws apply to every NSW property owner with a swimming pool or spa. Even if a swimming pool was previously approved by local council, the new laws require registration of the swimming pool or spa on the register by the property owner. Household insurance policies generally exclude damages arising from non-compliant swimming pools or spas with respect to minimum safety measures. Chubb recommends all customers with a property in NSW with a swimming pool or spa register their pool or spa on or before 29 October 2013 and ensuring their swimming pool or spa remains compliant It is free to register a pool online and the NSW Swimming Pool Register is located on the following link: swimmingpoolregister.nsw.gov.au/. For further detailed information regarding recent legislative changes and requirements refer to the Department of Local Government Swimming Pools & Spas website.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 04:16:04 +0000
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