Part G1 Minor structures and components

Coverage

G1O1 relates to three distinct matters:

• G1O1(a) to (d) — swimming pools;
• G1O1(e) — the risk of people being locked in confined spaces; and
• G1O1(f) — outdoor play spaces in early childhood centres.

Swimming pools — G1O1(a) to (d)

G1O1(a) aims to minimise health risks to people from discharged waste water from a swimming pool. Such waste can spread disease.

G1O1(b) relates to drainage from a swimming pool to protect other property from damage. G1O1(c) relates to preventing access of young children to swimming pools.

G1O1(d) aims to prevent injury or drowning of people due to suction from a swimming pool recirculation system.

Accidental locking in small spaces — G1O1(e)

G1O1(e) aims to prevent illness or injury to people from being locked in small spaces which are only intended to be entered for short periods (e.g. cool rooms).

Early childhood centres — G1O1(f)

G1O1(f) aims to safeguard young children in an early childhood centre when playing in outdoor play spaces.

G1F1 controls the drainage and disposal of water from swimming pools.

Swimming pools — access for young children G1F2(a)

G1F2(a) controls access by young children to swimming pools. This is to provide protection from illness, injury and death resulting from unsupervised access to swimming pools. Accordingly, systems designed as alternatives to the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions must be designed, approved and installed to provide equivalent restrictions to a young child.

Swimming pools — recirculation systems G1F2(b)

G1F2(b) controls swimming pool recirculation systems to reduce the possibility of people being entrapped or injured by the suction from the system.

G1F3 aims to make sure that people in confined spaces, such as cooling chambers, strong-rooms and vaults, are able to:

• leave the space if the door accidentally closes; and
• alert people outside the confined space if there is an emergency.

G1F4 aims to restrict the passage of children to the outside of an outdoor play space of a Class 9b early childhood centre.

G1P1 relates to swimming pool drainage in two basic ways: the prevention of illness, and the protection of other property from damage.

Prevention of illness — G1P1(a)

To comply with G1P1(a), it will generally be necessary that water must drain away from the pool surrounds and not flow on to the same or adjoining property. Such pooling could cause illness through:

• excessive moisture conditions degrading any building; and
• the creation of disease breeding grounds.

G1P1(a) also aims to ensure that water is not left in puddles where people could slip. Water should not be left under decking, creating conditions for mosquito breeding and unhealthy pools of stagnant water.

Protection of other property from damage — G1P1(b)

G1P1(b) requires that pool water not affect other property. Measures must be taken to ensure that water drained from a pool does not affect other buildings.

No Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions for G1P1

There are no Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions for G1P1. This is because the solution to compliance with G1P1 will vary considerably from allotment to allotment. This does not alter the fact that compliance must be achieved with G1P1.

Swimming pools — access for young children

G1P2(1) relates to swimming pool barriers. Swimming pool safety fencing should be constructed so as to be impenetrable by young children, having regard to:

• the height and rigidity of the fence;
• any horizontal climbable members;
• openings and footholds in the fence; and
• the operation of self-closing and latching gates.

G1P2(1)(a) requires barriers be continuous. However, the barrier does not have to be a single form or type of construction (e.g. it may consist of allotment fences in combination with building walls).

A barrier must have sufficient structural strength to withstand people leaning or falling against it. Details on suitable structural loading criteria can be obtained from AS 1926. G1P2(1)(c) requires that young children be prevented from entering the immediate pool surrounds. G1P2(1)(d) requires any access gates or doors to be self-closing and latching.

Swimming pools — water recirculation systems

G1P2(2) requires a swimming pool water recirculation system to have appropriate safety measures to avoid the possibility of a person becoming entrapped by the suction of the system. Such entrapment in the past has led to injuries and drowning.

G1P3 relates to areas such as refrigeration and cooling chambers. It aims to maximise the safety of people working in them by preventing them accidentally being trapped inside.

These provisions only relate to chambers of sufficient size for a person to enter.

G1P3(a) requires a communication system to allow people within the chamber to alert others that they are trapped, etc. The communication system should be able to be seen or heard above any work going on in the building.

G1P3(b) specifies that the egress route door must:

• be of sufficient size for an adult to move through; and
• be openable from the inside without a key at all times. (This provision overrides any corresponding requirements or concessions in Section D).

G1P4 aims to maximise the safety of people working in strongrooms and vaults of sufficient size to allow people to enter. Within the vault there must be:

• means of communication with people in the building; and
• an internal light controlled only from within the room (i.e. there must be no override switch outside the vault).

Under G1P4(c), there must be an indicator outside the vault which clearly shows if it is occupied. The indicator should be clearly marked as relating to the actual vault.

G1P5 aims to prevent children from going through, over or under fencing or barriers serving an outdoor play space in an early childhood centre. To prevent this from occurring consideration needs to be made to the design of the gates and fittings in addition to the proximity of the barriers to any permanent structure on the property.

There are no Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions for G1P1. This is because the solution to compliance with G1P1 will vary considerably from allotment to allotment. This does not alter the fact that compliance must be achieved with G1P1.

Information on drainage requirements may be obtained from the appropriate authority. The legal discharge point from an allotment is generally determined by the appropriate local government authority.

Swimming pools — access for young children

G1D2(1) indicates that a barrier installed in accordance with AS 1926 Parts 1 and 2—Swimming Pool Safety, will form a suitable barrier to swimming pools associated with a Class 2 or Class 3 building or Class 4 part.

AS 1926 Part 2 provides a number of options for the location of swimming pool safety fencing. 

Examples 
Options for the location of safety fencing include:

• enclose the pool with isolation-safety fencing, separating the pool area from any other part of the allotment and any buildings;
• separate the pool area from other parts of the allotment, any buildings and neighbouring allotments, with barriers complying with the relevant Australian Standards provisions for safety fencing;
• if access is provided from the building to an indoor pool area, protect the access door and window openings to the pool area with child-resistant door sets and child-resistant openable portions of window; and
• if a window forms part of the safety barrier to a swimming pool, the openable parts of the window must be child- resistant.

The operation of self-closing and latching devices on gates should allow it to close and latch from any position — from resting on the latching mechanism to fully open — in accordance with AS 1926 Part 1.

Water recirculation systems

The BCA definition of swimming pool is specific in including a bathing or wading pool and a spa. The requirements of AS 1926.3 apply to all types of pools defined as swimming pools under the BCA, irrespective of the definition in the Standard.

The swimming pool water recirculation system requirements seek to minimise the risk of entrapment or injury of people using the swimming pool and provide for the safe operation of skimmer boxes and outlet systems.

G1D3(1) specifies the acceptable safety requirements for a cooling chamber, strongroom or vault which people can enter and work within. The door must be operable from the inside without a key (this requirement overrides any corresponding requirements or concessions in Section D). Also, there must be dedicated controls within the chamber, room or vault for internal lighting and an external indicator lamp to indicate the space is in use. Activation of the external indicator lamp can only be by operation of the internal light from within the chamber, room or vault.

G1D3(1)(d) requires a dedicated alarm to alert people outside that a person is trapped inside. The alarm must achieve the specified sound pressure level and should be located where it will be noticed. The activation of the alarm must be controlled from within the chamber, room or vault, and must not be connected to an external device which can override the internal alarm controls.

G1D3(2) sets out the minimum door opening with specified dimensions for refrigerated or cooling chamber (the clear width criterion means that the measurements must be taken at the narrowest point of the opening, including any protruding door or door hardware).

G1D4 specifies requirements for enclosure of an outdoor play space in a Class 9b early childhood centre. The provision requires a barrier to be provided to an outdoor play space.

G1D4(1) sets the requirement to provide a barrier in accordance with AS 1926.1.

G1D4(2) specifies that AS 1926.1 is applied as if there is a swimming pool located outside the outdoor play space. AS 1926.1 is designed to restrict children from gaining access to a swimming pool by enclosing the swimming pool with a barrier. The opposite approach is used when providing a barrier for an outdoor play space associated with a Class 9b early childhood centre where the intent is to restrict children from leaving the enclosed space without the knowledge of centre staff rather than gaining access to it. Therefore, elements of AS 1926.1 that would otherwise apply to the outside of a barrier where it is enclosing a swimming pool are applied to the inside of the barrier to an outdoor play space. Some examples of this include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The gate should swing into the play space in lieu of away from the play space.
• The non-climbable zone should be located on the inside face of the barrier, not the outside.
• Where a latch is provided at a height of less than 1500 mm from the finished ground level, the latch should be located on the outside of the gate, not the inside.

G1D4(3) exempts a wall which forms part of an early childhood centre from the requirements of (1). This is because access is still required to and within the play area, for general movement and for the children to access toilet facilities within the early childhood centre.