Kristin Brookfield of the HIA spoke to SCHWARTZWILLIAMS about the continued availability of non-conforming building products in Australia, and what to do if you are concerned about them being used in your building.
In the wake of London's devastating Grenfell fire, questions remain in Australia about the availability of non-conforming building materials, and what to do if you are concerned about them being used in your building.
Kristin Brookfield, chief executive industry policy with the HIA, told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS that uncertainties remain.
"There is no clear picture on the extent of non-conforming products that are in the Australian marketplace," she said, "however some significant failures in recent years have confirmed that there are poor quality products available.
Brookfield gave the example of the Infinity electrical cable recall in 2015.
"The Infinity electrical cable recall in 2015 involved 4000km of cable being sold through major hardware retailers in several states and work to remove or make safe any cable that has been used in buildings is ongoing."
Brookfield said if owners or builders are concerned about materials used in their building, it's possible to have the products tested.
"If a builder or building owner become aware that a product already in a building is not fit for purpose, meaning it doesn’t perform the way it should, then they firstly need to confirm that there is a problem by having the product tested in some way," she said.
"Depending on what the product is, this may involve on site testing or you may be able to take a sample of the product and have it tested off site," she said.
"If testing proves there is a problem, then the builder or the building owner, should speak with relevant building authority to decide what action should be taken. At times a non-conforming product may still be safe to use or can be made safe, but it is important that building owners have the information needed and make a choice about what to do."
Brookfield said the HIA is calling on the government to introduce new rules that compel retailers to ensure they only sell complying building materials.
"HIA has also called on governments to consider new rules that apply an obligation on the retailer of a product at the point of sale to verify that the product is conforming, or fit for purpose. In Australia today there are very limited rules that compel the supplier of building materials to confirm that the product is conforming."
Builders need to ensure they use conforming products correctly, said Brookfield.
"Builders and trade contractors need to understand the building materials they are using and most importantly understand what those materials should not be used for," she said.
"Building designers need to correctly select products that are fit for purpose (conforming) and specify how they will be used in a building."
Certifiers also play an important role in checking the right products have been used in the right way.
"Building certifiers need to check the building plans have both quality products selected and that they have been selected to do the right things in the building.
"It is important that products are not substituted by anyone in the process without checking that they are the right products for the job."
Read more about the Grenfell fire:
London fire: Could it happen here?
More education needed after Grenfell fire: Master Builders
Consumers win with review of fire and emergency services levy