New National Swimming Pool Design Codes to be Effective May 2010
“The changes mean you can no longer step from your door straight into a swimming pool area,” Sarah McCann Bartlett, deputy building commissioner for the Victorian Building Commission said.
The changes don’t apply to existing pools, she said.
In the year to June 30, 2009, 19 toddlers died in backyard pools, making it the highest year for deaths since 1999 – 2000, when 22 died.
Near drownings can also often result in brain damage, Life Saving Victoria said.