Guide ensures building product compliance

Guide ensures building product complianceThe APCC has released a guide aimed at ensuring that the vast and increasingly complex range of products used in the Australian construction industry complies with the national building code.The Australasian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) says it extremely difficult to ascertain whether the hundreds of thousands of building and construction products currently available on the market – many of them manufactured overseas – comply with the National Construction Code (NCC) or relevant Australian or international standards. It says that as many as half of all construction products currently in use may be classed as ‘non-conforming products’.In the guide, Procurement of Construction Products – A guide to achieving compliance, the APCC outlines the substantial risks involved when products are used that fall foul of compliance legislation. The APCC says there have been numerous instances in which non-compliant construction products have caused a building to fail or suffer damage, such as when a building or motorway sign has collapsed or when a key building element, such as glass panelling or a steel fixing, has failed.In extreme situations, it cautions, the use of products that fail to meet acceptable levels of quality and compliance can cause serious injury or death.The APCC says the guide, which has been developed jointly by 30 key construction industry stakeholders, aims to assist decision-makers in abiding by compliance standards with a view to elevating levels of compliance and providing a level of confidence to all parties in the supply chain.Teresa Scott, executive director of the APCC, says the guide “fills an existing void by providing a solid non-regulatory and invaluable tool for the procurement of construction products in Australia and providing a level of confidence for all stakeholders involved in building and construction project delivery”.Innes Willox, chief executive of the Australian Industry Group, which represents the interests of members across a variety of sectors, said the guide offers a great example of government and industry working collaboratively to reduce risks associated with the proliferation of non-conforming building products in this country.”We acknowledge there may be no quick fix, but active steps such as this guide are needed to rectify the problems presented by non-conforming products across the economy,” he said.Find a copy of the APCC’s guide here