What's new with Standards?

29/06/2017
From Dr Don Ewart, Chairman of AS3660 Standards Committee
 
There’s a massive amount of misinformation and confusion going about precon work and the new building code. It’s not a difficult situation:
  • If your builder wants compliance with AS 3660.1--2014 make sure your work actually complies.
  • If you are spraying the ground, and it will be covered with a slab or paving or whatever, put in reticulation for the reapplications.
  • If you are using a sheet plastic system, make sure you know whether the details you are using meet the standard (some don’t) and most importantly, if they don’t, then either use only their Codemark compliance wording or use the stuff so it does comply. That’s simple. 

◦ Collars have to embed at least 15 mm into the slab, so you need a flange and can’t just wrap pipes or bung a bit under.
◦ Same with slab joints unless you glue them down (with a resistant glue), joints need to be sealed. Laying just a strip under a slab joint is beyond silly.
◦ Basically, the AS 3660.1--2014 says you can’t use plastic sheet details that rely on surface repellency.

A few very brave companies are reportedly going with the expert opinion of suitability approach for meeting the building code, mostly using cheap bifenthrin hand sprays and nothing else. This option is real, and if you can find an ‘expert’ to sign off on it, you can do just about anything you want to meet the NCC. The opinion has to be valid and soundly based. If the job goes belly up, this approach could result in serious problems, so if you want to do this, ask yourself, does the return justify my liability?
 
The new management standard, AS 3660.2 isn’t far away and it changes a bit in that it is no longer just a guide and if you want to comply, you have to follow the steps. Most of this is what the average good service already does. There’s a few more bits you need to do about offering options and explaining what you find, but all of these are there to ensure a shared understanding and reduce conflicts. More later, or come to my talk at the Rapid’s conference.
 
Don Ewart
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