What it says the law

The safety requirements for your swimming pool with which the four types of devices provided for by the decree of June 7, 2004 must comply:

  • Protective barriers must be designed, constructed or installed in such a way as to prevent the passage of children under five years of age without the assistance of an adult, to resist the actions of a child under five years of age, particularly with regard to the access locking system, and not to cause injury;
    Covers must be designed, built or installed in such a way as to prevent involuntary immersion of children under the age of five, to withstand being stepped on by an adult, and not to cause injury;
  • Enclosures must be designed, built or installed in such a way as not to cause injury and so that the pool area, when closed, is inaccessible to children under five years of age;
  • Alarms must be designed, built or installed in such a way that all activation and deactivation controls cannot be operated by children under the age of five. Detection systems must be equipped with a siren and must not trigger unexpectedly.

One way for owners to ensure that the equipment they intend to purchase or have installed meets these requirements is to check that it complies with approved standards.

The standards approved last December have just been revised by the standards committee (comprising manufacturers, consumer associations and technical bodies), as trials have shown that certain provisions need to be clarified or supplemented.

The French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry published a notice in the Journal Officiel of May 2, 2004 (NOR INDI0410046V) concerning the approval of the following four revised standards for pool safety:

  • Barriers (standard NF P90-306),
  • Alarms (NF P90-307 standard),
  • Roofing (standard NF P90-308),
  • Shelter (standard NF P 90-309).
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Reminder of prevention

A pool safety device is no substitute for the vigilance of responsible adults, who must keep a constant and active watch.

They must read and understand the safety instructions specific to each safety device. These only provide protection for young children in the locked position (for gates, covers and shelters) or in the normal operating state (for alarms).

When swimming and around the pool, we strongly recommend equipping young children with floatation devices (adapted buoys, armbands, floatation suits, etc.).

Never let a young child enter a swimming pool alone, nor leave him or her alone or out of sight, even for a few moments.

All the information you need on pool safety and current legislation is available on the Fédération des Professionnels de la Piscine website.