Standards Australia is a not for profit organistation that sets the procedures and specifications for products and services. The best example of a standard I’ve heard is for traffic lights. Everyone knows that the 3 colours on a light will be the same anywhere in Australia. Its an agreed standard that manufactures make lights in red, yellow & green.
In the Building & Construction Industry there are set standards that affect a range of trades. It can be difficult to keep up with all the changes. Recently the standards around ceramic tiles have changed to meet international standards. An example of the changes is that there is a now a very specific process to test adhesives.
Currently changes to the installation of thermal insulation are being drafted. If you’d like to see the draft document and find out more, visit http://www.standards.org.au/Pages/default.aspx the changes include the requirement to conduct a ‘pre-installation inspection’with the aim of addressing safety concerns about certain electrical cables and equipment overheating. Basically it seeks to avoid safety issues like those that were highlighted during the Federal governments insulation scheme.
For South Australian tradies, we keep copies of the latest standards and building codes in our office located in Holden Hill. If you have any queries, or would like to arrange a time to come in and view the documents, send an email to [email protected] or call us on 83675615.