A Brief Background
The issue of pool drownings was raised as a huge problem around 60 years ago. It was around the same time that the pool fencing debate kicked off across Australia. Today, it would be nearly unimaginable to have a backyard pool without the mandatory fencing, complete with specifications related to minimum overall height, bar spacing, and construction type. But it hasn’t always been this way. It wasn’t until 1972 that pool safety fences, complete with self-closing and self-latching gates, were mandated around the entire state of South Australia.
Since those early beginnings in pool safety, all states and territories of Australia gradually introduced their own pool safety laws and regulations.
The Popularity of the Backyard Pool – Introducing Affordable Swimming Pools
Pools have grown enormously in popularity in recent decades. This is due to a couple of reasons. One, pools are getting cheaper. Back in the 1970s the introduction of preformed fibreglass pools suddenly saw the backyard swimming pool become accessible to more than just the rich and famous. Prior to this, many Australians simply didn’t have the means to spend their hard-earned wages on such a luxury. Even today is still viewed as something of a luxury, despite pools being a lot more common place. Remember Australia suffered greatly during the great depression, not to mention the hardships that were the result of World War II.
Dangers of Swimming Pools
The rise in popularity of swimming pools is of course understandable, considering that much of Australia has a climate that lends itself to outdoor swimming for many months of the year. But with the swimming pool also comes the ever-present risk of drowning. Groups of people have been campaigning for pool safety for decades now and Australia as a whole, including governments on local, state and federal levels.
Active Adult Supervision Around Swimming Pools
Even with the appropriate fencing in place and adult supervision of children in the pool, one must be ever vigilant. Children tend to run around pools and even non swimmers can feel invincible when they have a life vest fitted. Complacency is something we all need to be aware of. When children use the pool, day in and day out throughout the summer season, it is vital that we don’t drop our guard.
Pool cleaning equipment, toys, and towels are all things that can be carelessly left lying around and become a hazard. A fence is fantastic safety measure, but if a towel is recklessly flung onto the gate, for example, it may prevent it fully latching shut. In fact, pool gates can lose their self-closing ability for a number of reasons and should be checked regularly.
Supplying Frameless Glass Pool Fencing in Sydney
At A1 Glass Pool Fencing we are committed to providing safe swimming pool environments for young children and families with our specialised glass pool fence installation. We sell and install frameless glass pool fencing in Sydney, but aim to provide current and useful information through our blog that can help families all over Australia create safe backyard pool areas.