The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAMH) published, last May, new interpretations in the Safety Regulations of residential pools, a victory for current and future pool owners who, in several cases, will have less to spend to make their artificial body of water compliant.
In order to reduce the risk of drowning in young children, residential swimming pools, whether downstairs, removable or dug, must be secure, in particular by being surrounded by fences so that a child cannot access water alone.
Concretely, the new interpretation of the ministry indicates that the fences of a courtyard as well as the house walls can constitute a complete and compliant enclosure, provided to meet certain criteria. Previously, it was mainly understood, by the owners and municipal inspectors, that it was necessary to supervise its swimming pool with a fence, even if the land already had one.
“In the event that the rear courtyard is fully fenced and access to it can only be done from the house, it is also possible to use the back wall of the house as part of the speaker, in addition to the fence of the land. In such a case, it is therefore the whole of the backyard which constitutes the interior of the pool enclosure, ”specifies the MAMH document.
Court as a pool pregnant
According to the Citizen Pool Committee, a citizen group that campaigns for better regulations surrounding residential swimming pools, the difference in costs between adapting your house to comply according to the new interpretation and having to close its pool individually can be between spending $ 500 and $ 10,000.
Note that if they exist, local municipal restrictions may apply in addition to the regulations of the ministry.
Concretely, the new guide published by the MAMH indicates that “the wall of a building can form part of an enclosure” if it is not provided with an opening allowing to enter the place where the swimming pool is located or if the entrance respects very specific rules.
If the wall has a window, it must be located 1.2 m or more from the floor inside the house so as not to be considered dangerous and thus be able to act as part of the enclosure. In this case, a piece of furniture or a counter allowing access to the window must also not be nearby.
If a window cannot open “without the help of a tool” or if it has a mechanism for limiting the opening, it can be considered secure as part of a speaker surrounding a swimming pool.
As for the doors, a patio door for example, it must be able to close and lock itself automatically in order to comply. In addition, the lock on the interior side must be located at least 1.5 m in height so that a child can not rid the door. The MAMH document also indicates that it is possible to install a fence around the patio door.
If a door does not allow direct access around the swimming pool, such as a balcony in height without external outcome, this entrance complies with standards.
Both for a door and for a window, as well as a fence, the ministry specifies that in order to be regulatory, an entry to the enclosure of a swimming pool must be able to “prevent the passage of a spherical object of 10 cm in diameter” and be “devoid of any fixing element, protruding or openwork part which can facilitate escalation”.