Scope

South Australian pool operators work within a diverse web of standards, state legislation and industry guidelines to ensure adequate safeguards are in place to minimise the risk of injury to both patrons and employees. The Code of Practice for Public Swimming Pools in SA 2022 was developed to incorporate all appropriate guidelines and regulations required to operate a public swimming pool to the highest possible standard within the South Australian Aquatic Industry. The Code of Practice is designed to complement Royal Life Saving Australia’s Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations (GSPO) and assists pool operators to identify gaps and assign standards for best industry practice. It is strongly encouraged that pools remain subscribed to the GSPO to ensure they are aware of any further industry updates or changes. The Code of Practice will also be regularly updated to ensure both publications remain relevant and aligned. If there is a serious incident such as a near drowning or drowning at your facility, the GSPO is the standard that will be referred to in a Coronial inquest. The Code of Practice benefits all Aquatic Industry operators, employees and patrons by providing a framework for planning and assessing aquatic environments, creating, and maintaining safer venues and minimising risks and hazards.

Acknowledgements

The development of the SA Swimming Pools Code of Practice was originally funded by the Office for Recreation, Sport, and Racing (ORSR) in 2015/16 and has since been reviewed and updated by the SA Aquatics Committee (SAAC) in 2022 under Life Saving SA. The Code of Pratice has been developed for industry by industry to complement the GSPO as an Executive Summary of industry best practice. The 2022 SAAC acknowledges the original development of the Code of Practice by Recreation South Australia and the previous Aquatics Committee.