Making safety a priority Brett Fitzmaurice | PoolSafe Inspections Victoria How and when did you get into pool barrier inspecting? My background is working with local government. I finished my academic qualifications and went to work for Melbourne City Council for 5 years, then at Banyule City council for a further 5 years. My experience with the building inspection industry has been about 15 years. Building surveying, inspections, permits with council, audits, prosecutions and taking people to task on legal structures. That was more with Banyule council. When the wall collapsed in the city of Melbourne, we did the audits on that incident. Mostly high-risk work.
SPASA VICTORIA
With swimming pools, I first came into that via an auditing program. I was part of a team of 7 or 8 initially. Banyule council didn’t want the risk of pool audits back then and didn’t want to get involved. I always knew I wanted to start my own business, so in 2015 I registered PoolSafe Inspections Victoria while I was still working for Banyule council. I used the time to do my research and I saw what was happening in QLD. At the start, I thought what was happening in QLD with their pool barrier regulations was great. I thought that the rules would change down here too.
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When the Andrew Plint story came out of QLD, it really tugged at my heartstrings. Knowing how easily toddler drownings can happen, I wanted to get involved. We were failing 99% of audits, and I knew our system had to change. The old building regulations only referenced Building Regulations 1220 ‘The homeowner must maintain their barrier at all times. 50 penalty units’. We could apply enforcement but there was no obligation. So properties would switch hands all the time and people would lease properties out, but there was really no onus on the owner. They were left to do what they wanted and they didn’t understand the dangers. You could sell a house and six months later a toddler moves in and it’s no longer safe, so I didn’t think that was good enough. When I started, I planned to build up my business on the side. Any money I earned, I put back into the business. It wasn’t until 2017 when journalist Kate Ashley-Griffiths from the Leader newspaper contacted me after finding me via my very basic website. She asked me if I’d like to get involved in her pool safety campaign. We organised to meet up at a property in Hurstbridge and do a photo shoot about pool barrier safety, then the next day Neil Mitchell called me, then Channel 9 news got on board and did a segment. It really snowballed from there. Then DELWP got involved and it all grew from there. I still feature these articles on my website.
What certification/ credentials do you have? I’m a registered INU with the VBA and I have an advanced diploma of building surveying.
What do you like about the pool and spa industry? I like how its very large but its quite closely knit, especially through the Association. From your pool installer to your pool cleaner, everyone ties in together. For a specialised market, having an Association means that everyone is held under professional account. The building industry is far more broad, whereas the pool and spa industry is smaller and more unique.
What changes have you seen over the years? I’ve seen the pool barrier laws change recently of course, but other than that, there is far more liability and accountability these days. When I came into the industry, it was regulated, but much more relaxed. Regulations are being enforced much more heavily. People are fearful of doing the wrong thing now, which wasn’t always the case. Our industry is certainly becoming more regulated and people’s skill sets are being held to account more. In QLD they have every trade registered and I think that’s the way to go.
