The Office of Local Government has clarified that if a pool has only had minor maintenance work, it should be assessed against the original Australian Standard that applied when the pool was built.
Otherwise, for a pool that has had major work undertaken to it:
- if the pool complies with the Standard that applied when the major works were completed, that Standard continues to apply
- if the pool never complied with the Standard that applied when the major works were completed, then the current Standard applies.
The Office of Local Government has also clarified the difference between minor and major works:
- Minor works are associated with a compliant pool's ordinary maintenance such as loose fence palings, a defective post, a locking mechanism out of line and not latching, or weakened springs.
- Major works are when a non-compliant pool barrier has to be altered, reconfigured or replaced because of such things as rotted or rusted fence posts or rails or collapsed fence panels, or other works affecting the structure or alignment of the barrier.
If you are unsure which Standard to apply, refer to the chart on the this website.