Tag: Safety

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Security

Everything you can do to secure your home

In some areas, the chance of being burgled is as high as one in three homes. With these risks so astounding, it is critical for all homes to be protected with a home security system. Some statistics indicate that about 25 per cent of all homes experience a break-in or an attempted break-in at some point. The right security measures can reduce this risk.

The benefits of security surveillance

In a nutshell, security surveillance refers to monitoring the home with cameras linked up to a recording device. There are several reasons for using surveillance at home, such as:

  • Monitoring both the inside and outside of the home for potential trespassers and intruders
  • Monitoring kids and other members of the family when they are in other regions of the house, or outside
  • Monitoring employees, for example, babysitters, nannies, cleaners etc. – to make sure they are working properly
A home alarm system with a camera / Source: Security System Solutions

Wired security systems

Wired security systems are hardwired through the walls or floors of your home and typically controlled from a panel located in an easily accessible area from the door. In addition to a control pad, the system tends to come with cameras and motion sensors on the windows and doors. Everything is hardwired together, and sometimes it might not be easy to feed the wiring through the walls. In this case, some might be exposed. You can cover them easily with a rug, though.

When installing a wired security system, you’ll have to choose between a closed or open-loop design. Closed-loop systems set off the alarm if the security magnet is somehow removed from its magnetic switch, which breaks the closed circuit of the system. Open-loop systems set off the alarm if any of the doors or windows are opened, which causes a magnetic link to close the open connection.

Wireless security systems

Much like a wired security system, wireless systems use sensors, cameras, motion detectors, etc. to monitor the safety of your home. Rather than using wires, of course, wireless security systems operate via radio signals that are sent to each other. Many opt for a wireless system because it doesn’t require running cables and wires through your home, so its a less invasive installation process.

The only disadvantage to wireless security systems is that the elements cannot be too far from each other. They need to stay in range in order to fully operate as they’re meant to. Be sure to install wireless components far from your other electronic devices, so that they don’t interfere with each other.

Using a visual system

Burglars tend to select the easiest targets; so by making your home look like a difficult target, it is likely that burglars will not attempt it and select a home that’s not as well prepared. To make your home visually protected, consider the following:

  • Keep the areas next to your home’s windows and doors free from shrubs or trees that a burglar can hide behind.
  • Use motion-activated lighting outdoors.
  • Use a security screen door so the burglar must go through two sets of doors to enter your home.

Contact local security system experts

Physical systems

It’s extremely effective to make your home physically challenging to enter. To do this, focus first on the most likely entry points: the front and back door. Equip all doors with deadbolts and consider the addition of security bars or screens to areas that are potentially high-risk. You may also want to consider the use of a home automation system. These allow you to turn on the lights and television no matter where you are. This way, your empty home looks as though someone is there. 

What are the different types of security lights?

Security lights come with many energy-efficient features which are meant to ensure that your electricity bills don’t drill a hole in your pocket. Sensor lights are wired into the main electrical supply and are switched on only when they detect motion in an area. Alternatively, timer lights can be pre-programmed to go on and off at particular times in a day. These timers can be used for lights inside and outside the house with equal ease. They are especially helpful when you have to leave your house vacant for a few days or weeks. By programming the lights to go on and off at regular intervals, you can create an impression that the house is occupied, thereby deterring thieves and burglars.

Sensor lights make your outdoor areas a lot safer / Source: Palmer Power And Lighting

Why site security is so important

Site security refers to the protection of a building site through each phase of the building process. Theft can be a major issue on building sites, with both tools and materials at risk of being stolen. This can cost you a great deal of money in replacement items. It can also cost you time as it may take several days, or even weeks, for new materials to be sent out so that work can recommence.

Building site protection

There are several methods available to help you provide better protection for your building site. These options include:

  • Temporary fencing – this method is both easy, cheap, and effective. You can get temporary fencing from companies who will deliver and install the fencing around the site for you. 
  • Get your neighbours to help you – if there are neighbours living near your building site, ask them if they are willing to watch over your property whenever possible. If they witness anything suspicious, they can let you know.
  • Coordinate deliveries – if possible, make sure any materials that are delivered are used soon after. By doing so, you won’t have piles of expensive materials lying around the site not being used for too long.
  • Keep the whole site clean – make sure that any tradespeople working on the site clean up after themselves – removing boxes, unused tools and materials, and additional waste as soon as they are not needed. This will do two things: it will limit hiding spaces for smaller items and will mean that less attention is drawn to your site and what is currently being done there.

Tips for when you’re on holiday

Empty homes are easy targets but taking precautions so your home appears occupied and protected, can prevent robberies. An overflowing mailbox or piling newspaper stacks is a dead give away to an empty house so ask a trusted neighbour, family member or friend to regularly pick up your mail for the duration of your trip. Additionally, keep some old clothes hanging on the clothesline and request your neighbour to place your trash bin in time for the weekly collection.

Categories
Security

Should you choose security screens, bars or grilles?

Protecting your home and your loved ones is a top priority. The threat of potential intruders is disconcerting for anyone potentially if you’ve suffered a break-in or know people in the area who have. If you’re searching for ways to keep your home safe, installing security screens, bars or grilles for your doors can be an easy and effective method for keeping predators out (and your hard-earned home amenities in).

Why security screens for doors?

Doors are an often-overlooked security hazard. A lock isn’t necessarily enough to deter a determined individual. Breaking a pane of glass or slashing through a screen may be all it takes to reach through, turn a lock, and gain access. An experienced lock picker won’t be deterred by even solid oak doors. Security screens act as a dedicated deterrent. They’re specially designed to make would-be intruders consider looking for an easier target. A burglar wants to spend as little time exposed at a home’s entrance, so a security screen can be enough to make wrongdoers look elsewhere.

Close up of a security screen / Source: Shutterstock

A security screen also adds convenience for keeping children and pets safe inside. Leave your doors open during the day to save on energy costs, enjoy a pleasant view, or improve indoor ventilation. With the security screen closed, you’ll know your home is safe. Feel secure in your own house even with the doors open when you use a high-quality, professionally installed security screen.

What is this type of screen?

A security screen is a mesh screen made of steel, rather than the material commonly found in flyscreens. These screens are made from a higher quality stainless steel or from marine grade steel. They have holes punched into the steel to give it a mesh appearance. Some screens are made from aluminium rather than steel, but steel is the better option overall due to its added security.

Additionally, these screens have extra strength thanks to their specialised framing. This framing is durable and hard to break. A special system is used to ensure that the mesh remains secured inside the frame.

Choosing security bars or grilles

An alternative to security screens is security bars or grilles. These are fitted to the doors and windows in your house and improve your overall home security. Security bars and grills deter potential thieves and intruders both visually and pragmatically since they dissuade most from breaking in just by their appearance. However, one disadvantage is that they can block your view. Security bars and grilles can be custom made or bought in a ready to use form. The type you get mostly depends on what kind of design you want and the type of windows and doors that need security.

Security bars come in a range of colour options / Source: Shutterstock

They are conveniently available in an extensive variety of designs, enabling you to make the most stylish choice for your abode. Security bars and grilles also come in a wonderful selection of great colours. When making your choice, it is advisable to opt for steel or aluminium bars and grilles and preferably ones that can withstand harsh elements. You should also opt for ones that are able to open, in case you need to escape from your home in an emergency.

The advantages of getting steel mesh screens 

First up, these screens are very strong and will make it totally unnecessary to have security bars or grilles on your doors or windows. Bars and grilles can sometimes ruin the look of feature windows and doors. With mesh screens, however, this really isn’t of any concern. The look of any home can be maintained when these are installed.

With these screens, you can also keep your doors and windows open in order to get air into the home, without any sort of security concerns. In addition, insects and other pests will be kept at bay, just like they would with regular flyscreens and other screens that are designed to repel insects.

In addition to this, these screens are safe for the family. When installed, they can be opened easily from within the home, making it easy for anyone to escape the house in the event of an emergency, like a fire.

Excellent warranties generally accompany these screens as well. In most cases, these warranties are good for about 10 years, which can ease your mind if something goes wrong with your screens.

Picking the right screen

Steel mesh security screens are available in models designed for sliding doors or hinged doors. Their versatility allows you to protect all the doors in your home using similar high-quality products designed for each particular entry. Find frames and trims in a wide range of colour options to complement the style of your house or apartment.

Most security screens for doors can be reinforced by mid-rails to add extra security on larger screen doors for maximum security with minimal visual impact. Look for a hinged screen that comes fitted with triple point locks or a sliding door screen with an extra-strong lock to further improve the security of your home.

Categories
Gates & fencing

Pool fence regulations in Australia

Having a backyard pool is a great way to enjoy the warm weather. All pool owners should be sure that their pool is fenced correctly to ensure the safety of everyone who uses it. Local, state and federal governments have been cracking down on pool safety regulation enforcement. The top way to aid in preventing pool-related injuries is to fence off your pool. This guide discusses some of the guidelines for the fences.

General pool regulations

Some general rules for pool fencing that apply to every state throughout Australia are as follows:

  • The fence should be made of a durable material to prevent children from being able to manipulate the fence to gain entrance.
  • The fencing should be well maintained and shouldn’t contain any gaps, damage or holes.
  • The height of the fence should be at least 1.2m in height, when measured from the outside Boundary fences that are part of the pool setup should be at least 1.8m in height.
  • The bottom gap in the fence should be 10cm or less from the ground.
  • The panels shouldn’t have more than a 10-cm gap in between each one of them. This will prevent children from squeezing past the gate. 
  • Pool gates should always open outwards away from the pool area and have to be wholly self-latching and self-closing.
  • Mount the gate’s latch inside the gate, so that a person must reach over if they want to open the gate. Latches on the outside must be at least 1.5m from the ground.
  • The pool should not have any objects like trees, furniture, plants, or pool pumps, that can be climbed on to access the pool. These items must be situated at least 90cm from the pool fence, so children cannot use them to climb over the fence.
  • The walls that comprise the pool fencing must not be able to be accessed from inside the home, unless, in some cases, you do have self-latching doors and child-resistant windows.
  • An inside pool must be fitted with a self-latching, self-closing door that opens to the outside of the pool.

State by state regulations for the pool

Generalised rules are enforced throughout Australia, but each state has its own regulations and restrictions. The occupants in the home can endure heavy penalties for not following these rules.

A pool using both fencing and the house walls as a barrier / Source: Serenity Pool Co

Queensland pool safety standards

A new pool safety register was introduced in the state a few years ago. This register lists every pool in the state and has copies of every certificate awarded for pool safety compliance, and lists all of the people licensed to carry out pool inspections. If you a pool, you should be registered. If you’re not, you could be liable to pay a fine of $2,000.

From December 1st 2010, any rented or lived in house in Queensland needs to have a certificate for pool safety.

Key safety standards

These standards apply to all pools, both inside or outside, that are more than 30cm deep when full. Before any pool is filled with water, the fencing needs to be approved. If any part of the property is inside the perimeter of the pool fencing, i.e. if you can access the pool directly from the house, you will need to install fencing stopping this. For indoor pools, child safety doors need to be added to access it.

New pools

If a new pool is currently under construction, it will need approval before development starts. Whilst the pool is under construction, temporary fencing is allowed for up to three months. After this period has elapsed, however, permanent fencing needs to be put in place.

Contact local swimming pool experts

WA pool safety standards

The specific pool fencing regulations are slightly different depending on when your pool was built. If your pool was constructed after 5 November 2001, you need to make sure that pool fencing properly restricts access to the pool. Some fencing will have fencing all around the perimeter with a gate leading into it. However, it can still use one of the house walls as one side of the fencing. If the wall has any windows, they have to be correctly locked so that children can’t access the pools.

If your pool was built before 4 November 2001, it needs to have a fence around it that is well maintained. If the yard has a boundary fence, that can act as part of the fence. The gate to the pool must close and latch on its own, and it should open outwards and away from the pool. There also has to be a fence constructed to separate the pool from the house, and if any doors or windows open to the pool, they have to follow the Australian Standards as well.

Pools built after 5 November 2001 must not include a door as part of the barrier unless the door is permanently fixed using a device other than a key locking mechanism. Pools built after 1st May 2016 must not use a door as a part of the barrier at all.

If your pool was approved for construction before 30 June 1992, the WA Government suggests that you have your fencing updated.

VIC pool safety standards

In 2010, updates were made to the Building Code of Australia in regards to pool fencing installation. In general, any new swimming pool in the area must have a four-sided fence. In other words, you must fence in your pool, including any spas you have. Any water-based area with more than 300mm when filled must be fenced.

As of December 2019, you need to complete the following steps to have a private pool in Victoria:

  1. Register your pool with your local council
  2. Organise a registered inspector to inspect your pool barrier 
  3. Rectify any identified issues
  4. Submit to council a certificate of compliance
Pool fencing can have small gaps as long as they are not larger than regulation size / Source: Cabarita Pools

NSW pool safety standards

All pools built after July 2010 must be surrounded by a fence that completely separates the pool from the house. For pools built before July 2010, this regulation also applies but some exemptions could be made for very small properties, very large properties or waterfront properties.

If you have a door that is part of a pool barrier you must ensure that it closes with manual force, self latches and does not open toward the pool.

If an old fence or barrier is rebuilt then the most current restrictions apply. Therefore, any previous exemptions placed on the pool when it was built will cease.

Maintaining your pool fencing

Once in place, you need to maintain it. This is a requirement that you, as the owner, must meet. This means you cannot have gaps or areas that are damaged that could allow a child to get through. Additionally, all gates and gate latches must operate appropriately at all times. They should have a self-closing and self-latching design on them, and the gates must open outwards. Additionally, you cannot access your pool directly from the house. If you fail to maintain these requirements, there are very hefty fees involved. In some cases, the penalties can be as much as $5,000 or more.

Other safety measures

While pool fencing is a must, if you want to ensure the safety of your children, there are other additional measures that you can utilize as well. Swimming pool covers, as well as pool alarms, may prove to be essential for the complete safety and protection of your family. Homeowners with a swimming pool should also invest in pool safety equipment. And once the time to enjoy the pool comes, don’t leave the kids without adult supervision.

While swimming pools definitely are a lot of fun, you have to be aware of the risks they pose for small kids as well. Drowning accidents can be prevented if you make sure that your pool protection is up to code. Stay safe and enjoy your family pool time to the fullest.