I am increasingly finding non-compliance issues relating to the issue of a boundary fence where used as part of a pool barrier. As such, I thought I’d share a common problem.
Where a boundary fence forms part of the pool barrier the most recent Standards require the boundary fence to have a height not less than 1,800mm on the pool side of the fence as well as there not having any climbable surface/objects/trees on the inside of the fence within a 900mm arc measured down and out from the top of the boundary fence.
The 1,800mm height of the pool side of the fence is measured from the pool deck, or if there are objects or level changes within 500mm of the boundary fence (again on the pool side of the fence) from the top of that object or level change.
This photo, taken during a Pool Barrier Compliance Inspection, is a great example to show how a level change or object may have an impact on the compliant height of the boundary fence. You can see there is a retaining wall at the base of the fence. While the height from the pool deck to the top of the boundary fence is greater than 1,800mm, the height of the boundary fence from the top of the retaining wall is less than 1,800mm which renders the boundary fence non-compliant. In this instance, the homeowner increased the height of the paling fence so it was no lower than 1,800mm from the retaining wall which allowed them to achieve compliance
