Swimming Pool Safety Act

The Swimming Pool Safety Act is  legislation to which every Pool Builder and Pool Designer in the Pacific Northwest must adhere. The Act is copied here for the clients’ edification.

 

Swimming Pool Safety Act

§ 115922. Safety features. Commencing January 1, 1998, except as provided in Section 115925, whenever a construction permit is issued for construction of a new swimming pool at a private, single-family home it shall be equipped with at least one of the following safety features:
(a) The pool shall be isolated from access to a home by an enclosure that meets the requirements of Section 115923.

(b) The pool shall be equipped with an approved safety pool cover.

(c) The residence shall be equipped with exit alarms on those doors providing direct access to the pool.

(d) All doors providing direct access from the home to the swimming pool shall be equipped with a self-closing, self-latching device with a release mechanism placed no lower than 54 inches above the floor.
(e) Other means of protection, if the degree of protection afforded is equal to or greater than that afforded by any of the devices set forth in subdivisions (a) to (d), inclusive, as determined by the building official of the jurisdiction issuing the applicable building permit. Any ordinance governing child access to pools adopted by political subdivision on or before January 1, 1997, is presumed to afford protection that is equal to or greater than that afforded by any of the devices set in subdivisions (a) to (d), inclusive.
§ 115923. Enclosure. An enclosure shall have all of the following characteristics:
(a) Any access gates through the enclosure open away from the swimming pool, and are self-closing with a self-latching device placed no lower than 60 inches above the ground.
(b) A minimum height of 60 inches.
(c) A maximum vertical clearance from the ground to the bottom of the enclosure of two inches.
(d) Gaps or voids, if any, do not allow passage of a sphere equal to or greater than four inches in diameter.
(e) An outside surface free of protrusions, cavities, or other physical characteristics that would serve as handholds or footholds that could enable a child below the age of five years to climb over.
§ 115924. Consumer notice. Any person entering into an agreement to build a swimming pool shall give the consumer notice of the requirements of this article.
§ 115925. Inapplicability. The requirements of this article shall not apply to any of the following:
(a) Public swimming pools.

(b) Hot tubs or spas with locking safety covers that comply with the American Society for Testing Materials-Emergency Performance Specification (ASTM-ES 13-89).

(c) Any pool within the jurisdiction of any political subdivision that adopts an ordinance for swimming pool safety that includes requirements that are at least as stringent as this article.

(d) An apartment complex, or any residential setting other than a single family home.
§ 115928. Suction outlet and entrapment standards. Whenever a construction permit is issued for the construction of a new swimming pool or spa, the pool or spa shall meet all of the following requirements:
(a) (1) The suction outlet of the pool or spa for which the permit is issued shall be equipped to provide circulation through-out the pool or spa as prescribed in paragraph (2). (2) The swimming pool or spa shall have at least two circulation drains per pump that shall be hydraulically balanced and symmetrically plumbed through one or more “T” fittings, and that are separated by a distance of at least three feet in any dimension between the drains.
(b) Suction outlets that are less than 12 inches across shall be covered with anti-entrapment grates that cannot be removed except with the use of tools. Slots or openings in the grates or similar protective devices shall be of a shape, area, and arrangement that would prevent physical entrapment and would not pose any suction hazard to bathers.

(c ) Any backup safety system that a Project Manager of a new swimming pool or spa may choose to install in addition to the requirements set forth in subdivisions (a) and (b) shall meet the standards as published in the document, “Guidelines for Entrapment Hazards: Making Pools and Spas Safer,” Publication Number 363, January 1998, United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.

 

For More Information About Pool and Spa Safety, You may visit  https://www.poolsafely.gov/