Does Your Association’s Pool Comply with Pool Safety Act?

Description

 POOL SAFETY

(VIRGINIA GRAEME BAKER POOL AND SPA SAFETY ACT,15 USC 8004) (the "Act")

 

In December 2007 the Act was signed into law by President Bush to increase the safety of pools and spas in the United States by requiring certain safety devices and consumer education about drowning prevention. The Act requires that, among other things, by December 20, 2008:

1. Each public pool and spa must be equipped with anti-entrapment drain covers.
2. Each public pool and spa with a single main drain (other than an unblockable drain) must also be equipped with a device or system designed to prevent entrapment, such as a safety vacuum release system.
3. The term "public pools and spas" is considered to be any pool or spa that is:
   1. open to the public general (whether for a fee or free of charge);
   2. open exclusively to:
      1. members of an organization and their guests
      2. residents if an apartment building, residential real estate development or other multi-family residential area, or
      3. patrons of a hotel or other public accommodations, or
   3. operated by the federal government.

This is a very technical statute and, therefore, if your association does have swimming pools, spas or wading pools to which this statute applies, the statute should be carefully reviewed to ensure that the association is complying with all of the technical aspects of this law by December 20, 2008.

You may download further details of Los Angeles County’s requirements below.

It might be wise to consult a pool company. Click here to locate a CAI member pool company…