Pool fences and gates are essential to protecting children around the pool, but without regular maintenance they could fail a safety inspection.
Jim's Pool Care Australia general manager Brett Blair said two of the most common pool fence defects were garden build-up next to fences and loose fence rails.
"People don’t realise that plants, pots or even a few inches of raised garden bed can make a fence climbable," he said.
“Most parents would be shocked to learn how quickly a child can enter a pool area due to something as simple as a misaligned latch or a toy jammed in the doorway.”
Mr Blair said that with drowning one of the leading causes of accidental death for young children, the rise in fence failures was deeply concerning.
“Homeowners rarely test their gates, and it only takes one moment of failure for a tragedy to occur,” he said.
Mr Blair said homeowners should walk the perimeter of their pool fence and look for anything a child could climb, test the gate to ensure it self-closed and observe any wobbling or rust.
“If in doubt, get your fence checked by a professional, these issues can be fixed quickly, but only if they’re found,” he said.
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