BUILDING CODES :

OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY & HOW THEY CAME ABOUT

The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 was passed in the Australian state of New South Wales. Current version for 31 August 2020 to date (accessed 16 September 2020 at 17:00).

Numerous ordinances were made under the Local Government Act 1919 until the Building Code of Australia (BCA) came into effect in 1997.

The performance based BCA (BCA96) was launched in October 1996. BCA96 was adopted by most Australian states and territories, on 1 July 1997, with the remainder adopting it by early 1998. In 2003, a decision was taken to move to an annual amendment cycle with a date of operation from 1 May each year.

Standards Australia is a standards organisation, established in 1922, and is recognised through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian Government as the peak non-government standards development body in Australia. There are currently over 5000 Standards.

In the Fire Industry alone we have over 500 reference documents that are referenced throughout the year. This does not include Performance Solutions that also have to be referenced when conducting performance tests 3 months prior to the Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) in New South Wales.

Navigating across all these reference documents, with there many intricate differences, can make it extremely difficult for fire testing personal to understand and apply. For example, they could be reporting a defect, that is in fact compliant, relevant to the day of installation, as they may be applying the incorrect Standard. Most fire companies follow AS1851 Maintenance of Fire Protection System and Equipment, and although this is a great guide line for testing, in NSW we do not certify to AS1851. We are certifying to the ‘Measure of Performance’ which are referenced in Installation Standards of their specific year.

HISTORICAL CODES & HOW THEY CAME TO BE

THE YEAR THE STANDARDS CAME INTO AFFECT