AS 2818 1993 Australian Standard Guide to swimming pool safety
This Australian Standard was prepared by Committee CS/34, Safety of Private Swimming Pools. It was approved on behalf of the Council of Standards Australia on 12 March 1993 and published on 26 July 1993. The following interests are represented on Committee CS/34: Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Australian Chamber of Manufactures Australian Uniform Building Regulations Coordinating Council Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia Department of Housing, Local Government and Planning, Queensland Department of Local Government and Co operatives, N.S.W. Fence Industry Association of Australia Health Department, Western Australia Metal Trades Industry Association of Australia National Injury Surveillance Unit National Safety Council of Australia (S.A. Division) Office of Planning and Urban Development, South Australia Pool Fencing Action Group, N.S.W. Pool Owners Objection Lobby, Queensland Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Australia Review of Australian Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Australian Standards are subject to periodic review and are kept up to date by the issue of amendments or new editions as necessary. It is important therefore that Standards users ensure that they are in possession of the latest edition, and any amendments thereto. Full details of all Australian Standards and related publications will be found in the Standards Australia Catalogue of Publications; this information is supplemented each month by the magazine The Australian Standard, which subscribing members receive, and which gives details of new publications, new editions and amendments, and of withdrawn Standards. Suggestions for improvements to Australian Standards, addressed to the head office of Standards Australia, are welcomed. Notification of any inaccuracy or ambiguity found in an Australian Standard should be made without delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action taken. This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 91184.
AS 2818 1993 Australian Standard Guide to swimming pool safety First published as part of SAA M33 1977. Second edition 1980. Revised and redesignated AS 2818 1985. Second edition 1986. Revised and designated in part as AS 2818 1993. PUBLISHED BY STANDARDS AUSTRALIA (STANDARDS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA) 1 THE CRESCENT, HOMEBUSH, NSW 2140 ISBN 0 7262 8346 0
PREFACE This Standard was prepared by the Standards Australia Committee on Safety of Private Swimming Pools to supersede (in part) AS 2818 1986, Guide to swimming pool safety. During preparation of a previous edition of this Standard, the Committee looked into the problem of serious injuries resulting from diving into private swimming pools. It was considered that no private swimming pool could be considered as absolutely safe for the inexperienced person to dive into. Minimum dimensions for diving pools were therefore not included. This decision has been reviewed and reconfirmed. This edition incorporates the following major changes from the previous edition: (a) Requirements for location to pool fencing are now included in AS 1926.2(Int), Swimming pool safety, Part 2: Location of fencing for private swimming pools. (b) Clauses on skimmer boxes and suction points are now included in AS 1926.3, Swimming pool safety, Part 3: Water recirculation and filtration systems. AS 2818 1986 will be withdrawn following substantial regulatory implementation of this edition, or within two years of publication of this edition, whichever is the earlier. Copyright STANDARDS AUSTRALIA Users of Standards are reminded that copyright subsists in all Standards Australia publications and software. Except where the Copyright Act allows and except where provided for below no publications or software produced by Standards Australia may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing from Standards Australia. Permission may be conditional on an appropriate royalty payment. Requests for permission and information on commercial software royalties should be directed to the head office of Standards Australia. Standards Australia will permit up to 10 percent of the technical content pages of a Standard to be copied for use exclusively in house by purchasers of the Standard without payment of a royalty or advice to Standards Australia. Standards Australia will also permit the inclusion of its copyright material in computer software programs for no royalty payment provided such programs are used exclusively in house by the creators of the programs. Care should be taken to ensure that material used is from the current edition of the Standard and that it is updated whenever the Standard is amended or revised. The number and date of the Standard should therefore be clearly identified. The use of material in print form or in computer software programs to be used commercially, with or without payment, or in commercial contracts is subject to the payment of a royalty. This policy may be varied by Standards Australia at any time.
CONTENTS Page FOREWORD.................................................. 4 1 SCOPE....................................................... 5 2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS................................... 5 3 RELATED STANDARDS........................................ 5 4 DEFINITIONS................................................. 5 5 RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUPERVISION........................... 6 6 LEGAL LIABILITY............................................ 6 7 UNDERWATER DIMENSIONS................................... 6 8 DIVING...................................................... 6 9 POOL FENCING............................................... 7 10 POOL COVERS................................................ 8 11 WARNING DEVICES AND ALARMS............................. 8 12 ABOVE GROUND POOLS...................................... 8 13 INSTRUCTIONS............................................... 9 14 SAFETY FEATURES........................................... 9 15 SAFETY IN POOL MAINTENANCE.............................. 9 16 ELECTRICAL SAFETY......................................... 11 17 SAFETY IN POOL USE......................................... 12
AS 2818 1993 4 FOREWORD The effectiveness of any installed safety measures is dependent on their proper use or observance by the pool user. It is intended that the pool owner, having regard to the information and recommendations in this guide should determine which safety considerations are appropriate for the particular situation. The Standard includes recommendations on aspects of pool safety which relate to persons of all ages. The recommendations set out are mainly concerned with preventive safety rather than first-aid measures, which are already well established and widely publicized. Recommendations in this Standard reduce the risk of injury or drowning but do not reduce the importance of competent supervision nor the responsibility of the pool owner.
5 AS 2818 1993 STANDARDS AUSTRALIA Australian Standard Guide to swimming pool safety 1 SCOPE This Standard provides guidance on the prevention of accidental drownings and injuries in private swimming pools and spa pools and identifies potential hazards in the use and maintenance of private swimming pools. Requirements for swimming pool safety are given in Parts 1, 2 and 3 of AS 1926. Design features for private spa pools are specified in AS 2610.2. 2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS The following documents are referred to in this Standard: AS 1926 Swimming pool safety 1926.1 Part 1: Fencing for swimming pools 1926.2 Part 2: Location of fencing for private swimming pools* 1926.3 Part 3: Water recirculation and filtration systems 2610 Spa pools 2610.2 Part 2: Private spas 3000 SAA Wiring Rules 3190 Approval and test specification Residual current devices (current-operated earth-leakage devices) 3633 Private swimming pools Water quality 3 RELATED STANDARDS Attention is drawn to the following related Standards: AS 1838 Swimming pools Premoulded fibre reinforced plastics Design and fabrication 1839 Swimming pools Premoulded reinforced plastics Installation 2020 Safety covers for private swimming pools and wading pools (for the protection of children 5 years of age and under) 2160 Contract for the supply and construction of a swimming pool 2783 Use of reinforced concrete for small swimming pools 3634 Solar heating systems for swimming pools 4 DEFINITIONS For the purpose of this Standard, the definitions given in AS 1926.1 and those below apply. 4.1 Beach area a shallow area within the pool, usually with a sloping floor, suitable for sitting on, lying on or use as an entry or exit for the pool. * First published as an Interim Standard. COPYRIGHT
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