What is a climbable object?

When we think about pool and spa safety barriers and the standards for safety, we often hear about climbable objects.  Intuitively we all know what a climbable object is: it’s something a kid could climb on so they can get into a pool area.

But what does that mean in concrete terms?

Well, the answer varies dramatically according to the standard.  To refresh your memory (and there’s more information here), there are FIVE different standards in Victoria:

•               Part 9A

•               AS 1926.1-1986

•               AS 1926.1-1993

•               AS 1926.1-2007

•               AS 1926.1-2012

Part 9A

For the pre-1991 pools and spas, which have to comply with the requirements of Part 9A, there are no restrictions on climbability.  However, it’s rate to find a pool barrier that is completely covered by Part 9A (which only covers buildings, paling fences and gates) - most of them have a pool fence and gate as well, and that’s governed by the rules of the 1993 standard.  See below.

AS 1926.1-1986

If your barrier is covered by the 1986 standard you will find there’s no mention of “climbability”, just of “projections from, or objects on the ground”.  That would seem to including anything on the ground.

That’s for objects on the outside of fences.  For objects on the inside, the wording is different: the wording is “horizontal surfaces permanently located”. 

AS 1926.1-1993

The 1993 standard continues to use the “projections from, or objects on the ground” wording for objects on the outside.  But for objects on the inside, they change tack: the wording becomes “horizontal surfaces that could be used as holds for climbing” that are “permanently located”.  Clearly that excludes things like small plant pots and ordinary lightweight chairs.

AS 1926.1-2007

The 2007 standard takes a different approach, instead defining NCZ for the first time as the area “intended to inhibit climbing of the barrier by children”.  Presumably that means that nothing that would undermine that intention is permitted.  Judgement clearly comes into play here.

For the space inside the fence, the wording of the 1993 standard is used with two qualifiers: the first is that it only applies to fences less than 1800mm high, and the second is that the objects have to be “adjacent to the NCZ”.

AS 1926.1-2012

The 2012 standard builds on the NCZ definition from the 2007 standard (strangely, changing the work “inhibit” to “restrict”).  And it makes clear that within an NCZ there can be no “handholds or footholds, objects or plants that will facilitate climbing”.

So as you can see, it’s not a simple thing.  It depends on where the object is and which applicable barrier standard applies.  And judgement comes into it.