By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
THE Victorian Workcover Authority is making inquiries into an incident that saw glass fall from a bank of windows above Dandenong Oasis’s main pool.
The glass panel was dislodged on 9 February – a day of near 40ºC temperatures and strong winds.
The falling glass was captured intact by a safety net above the 50-metre pool which is frequently used by competitive and recreational swimmers.
Greater Dandenong councillor John Kelly, who sits on the council’s aquatic facilities advisory group, said the net was designed to protect the windows from balls thrown in the pool rather than “the other way round”.
“We do audits all the time but sometimes something slips through the net, you could say.
“I think it was an unfortunate accident. Thankfully, no-one was hurt – I’m not sure there were people in the pool at the time.”
Cr Kelly said the 36-year-old building, which had become a “money drain for maintenance”, would be refurbished under the council’s long-term strategy.
He said the council didn’t want a repeat of the “tragic” wall collapse at the pool in 1988.
The City of Dandenong and its then chief engineer were prosecuted over that incident in which a 1.5-metre brick retaining wall at the pool collapsed during a school swimming carnival.
Some 30 children from St John’s Regional College were injured; 13-year-old Danielle Di Toro suffered spinal injuries and became a paraplegic.
She has since become world number one in wheelchair tennis, representing Australia at the 2012 Paralympics.
Chief executive John Bennie said after February’s glass fall, part of the pool was closed as a precaution until the panel was removed later that day – though there was “no immediate risk to patrons”.
He said the council would increase the frequency of its two-yearly inspection of the panels.
The “most recent” inspection found the panels were in “good condition”, he said.
“Since the incident, visual and structural assessments of the panels have been undertaken and there is no indication that any other windows could fall.
“While no problems have been found, (the) council is committed to providing safe facilities and will remove and disassemble some of the windows to see if there are hidden issues.”
A spokeswoman for the Victorian WorkCover Authority said the authority “has been notified of the incident and is making inquiries”.
Belgravia Leisure, which manages Dandenong Oasis on behalf of the council, did not return calls.
