Issue 72-QLD - June 2010

building & property Fail Safe Devices - Building Code of Australia Norman Bergin, Manager Building Surveying, advised that the means of activating fail-safe device to unlock an exit door is often misunderstood, especially with regard to shopping centre tenancies (HENDRY)   (more...)   RIS for BCA: Access to Premises - Buildings Kylie Rowlands, Manager advises that this Final Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) has been prepared to assess the impacts of a proposal to amend the Building Code of Australia to align with the “Disability Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards (the Premises Standards).  The Premises Standards were (ABCB)   (more...)   BCA Illustrated - Your Guide BCA Illustrated provides the BCA in both a downloadable Desktop Edition (no internet connection required) and an Online Edition with over 3000 illustrations, issues and explanations all exclusive to BCA Illustrated.  Printing or saving clauses and illustrations for clients or personal use are just some of the many features of BCA Illustrated. BCA 2010 is available at our updated website now.  (HENDRY)   (more...)   Changes to Building Energy Efficiency Norman Bergin, Manager Building Surveying, advises that a Building Newsflash number 421 advises that as from 1 May 2010, all new commercial buildings (classes 3 to 9) will be required to comply with Section 1 of the BCA 2010 for energy equivalence.  This requirement will also apply to new work done on existing buildings… (DIP)   (more...)   Glossaries Legal Kylie Rowlands, Manager has compiled a number of very good websites that contain a glossary of legal terms that practitioners should be aware of. Eg. AAA, Cromer, FEG, Ing Direct, LSC and WC. (HENDRY)   (more...)   safety measures & risk management Would You Like A Career With Us? Adrian Righele, our National Manager, advises Essential Property Services is experiencing further client growth and as a result we seek the services of a Safety Measures Manager for our Brisbane and Sydney offices.  If you are interested in a career with an innovative company, for Brisbane click here, for Sydney click here.   Displaying Certificates of Classification Andrew Powell, Manager Safety Measures, reminds building owners and managers that from the 1 May 2008 Certificates of Classification must be displayed in most commercial buildings in Queensland. (EPS)   (more...)   Upgrading Existing Fire Indicator Panels Norman Bergin, Manager Building Surveying, has been involved in the upgrade of numerous fire panels in a variety of building types and imparts some important consideration for property managers who are considering an upgrade of their fire detection system (EPS)     (more...)   Smoke Doors - Guide Andrew Powell, Manager Safety Measures has compiled from the Hendry Knowledgebase articles and links on smoke doors.  Many clients have installed in their building smoke doors to comply with the BCA requirements and with fire engineered solutions, these articles will help your understanding (EPS)    (more...)   Playing With Fire Have you considered your risk, liability and the consequences of your current practices for the selection and installation of fire rated cables?  The risk of incident may be low, however the catastrophic consequences of building fires is evidenced by fatality statistics (Elect. Conn)   (more...)   Pool Safety Inspector Licensing Andrew Powell, Manager Safety Measures, reports that the Queensland Government has introduced legislation into Parliament to establish the legislative and administrative arrangements for the pool safety inspector licensing system.  The Building and Other Legislation Bill 2010 proposes the amendment of the Building Act 1975...   (more...)   emergency planning & ohs Fire & Evacuation Floor Plans Andrew Powell, Manager Safety Measures, reports that in Queensland, under the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008, the occupier of a building is required to display evacuation diagrams and evacuation signs appropriately located on each evacuation route of the building.  (EPS)   (more...)   Maintaining Electrical Equipment Graeme Badrock, Manager Emergency Planning, advised that employers in every Australian state and territory have a duty of care under relevant safety legislation to enure employees and visitors to the workplace are safe from injury and risks to health. This includes ensuring that plant and systems of work at the workplace are healthy and safe, i.e. maintaining electrical equipment (EPS)   (more...)   Evacuation Plan - High Rise Building APF Magazine has published an article titled “Evacuation Plan for High Rise Building” by John Ng.  This feature article includes the definition of a high rise building, facilities for aiding building evacuation, evacuation plans and evacuation drills.  (APF)   (more...)   Leasing Should Include Obligations for Occupants Graeme Badrock, Manager Emergency Planning, advises property owners and managers should ensure that leases not only cover the safety of occupants in an emergency, but include obligations for occupants to participate in emergency planning (EPS)   (more...)   facility & property management Measurement of Chemical Emissions People generally spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors and therefore, the condition of indoor air has a vital impact in human health.  Today, buildings are designed to be airtight to save energy, resulting in less fresh air intake and a general build up… (ABSJ)   (more...)   Air-Conditioning Hygiene This article has been written to provide those who maintain and operate Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning Systems better understand the importance of Air-conditioning Hygiene.  Internal surfaces of a building’s air-conditioning systems are generally “out of sight, out of mind” and unless dust… (Hotel Eng.)   (more...)   Property & Facility Management Software fmXpert is a fully integrated Property and Facilities management system. Using the latest technology this system provides a simple user interface, web access, and mobile technology. Key features include Lease Management, Asset Management, Job Management and Document Management.    (more...)   FM Professional Development Courses FMA Australia has been working with “evolve change group” and now offer a professional development program that gives you many options.  The program schedule has been designed to allow attendees to complete subjects in one day, or send staff to a variety of sessions.  (FMA)   (more...)   Roll Out of Qualified Licensing An Experienced Persons Licence is a temporary licence, issued to technicians in the fire protection industry until they are able to demonstrate competence in the skills and knowledge required under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse… (FPA)   (more...)   residential Duplexes and Detached Houses Kylie Rowlands, Manager, advises that the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 (SPR) was amended on 26 March 2010 to allow Councils to opt into self-assessment of duplexes.  At this stage, Brisbane City Council does not intend to opt into self-assessment (HENDRY)   (more...)   Termite Protection Kylie Rowlands, Manager has located a new website that provides very good information on termite protection measures, history, recommendations and scientific reports.  Builders and owners of buildings in termite areas would be well advised to view “Boron Solutions” website. (HENDRY)   (more...)   Home Fire Sprinklers: Time For a Rethink What’s going on with fire sprinklers in houses?  Installing fire sprinklers into a home is the best way to control the growth of fire, yet despite some very extensive promotion by the New Zealand Fire Service and others, uptake has been slow… (Build Conn)   (more...)   BCA Illustrated - Your Guide BCA Illustrated provides the BCA in both a downloadable Desktop Edition (no internet connection required) and an Online Edition with over 3000 illustrations, issues and explanations all exclusive to BCA Illustrated.  Printing or saving clauses and illustrations for clients or personal use are just some of the many features of BCA Illustrated. BCA 2010 is available at our updated website now. (HENDRY)   (more...)   Glazing Provisions BCA 2010 Vol 2 Glazing Provisions for BCA 2010 use a somewhat different approach than BCA 2009, which prevents a direct comparison of stringencies in simple terms of percentage area change.  However, examining the types of glazing needed at typical glazing ratios (ie the proportion of glazing to floor area) is a practical means of comparing outcomes. (ABCB)   (more...)   A Rough Diamond: Rocklea Traditionally a working-class industrial suburb, Rocklea is polishing its boots and rubbing up a little closer to its posher neighbouring suburbs.  Rocklea, just nine kilometres from Brisbane CBD, has traditionally had a couple of splinters in its big toe – enough to turn… (API)   (more...)   sustainability Acoustic Design In Green Building A number of green building rating systems formalise the implementation of sustainable design practices.  Although draft standards with some acoustic requirements are under consideration, quantitative acoustic design requirements are not included in current sustainable design standards.  The question arises as to whether a building (AIRAH)   (more...)   rmXpert - Booking Resource Needs Announcing an exciting new product to manage all your resource booking needs, rmXpert will manage all of your resources and equipment simply and efficiently.  It can manage meeting rooms, sporting events, bus time tabling, equipment access and more.  All your resources managed on line, approved on line with automatic notifications to keep everyone informed.  Introductory price includes software, installation and training.   (more....)   Tanks, But No Tanks One day, history may tell us that the proliferation of water tanks in the suburbs of our major cities was nothing more than a “finger in the dyke” while our authorities scrambled to build water recycling schemes and desalination plants (Plumb Conn)   (more...)   Water Conservation in Cooling Towers Kylie Rowlands, Manager advises that AIRAH has issued ‘Water Conservation in Cooling Towers Best Practice Guide’.  This guide has been prepared to assist the owners and operators of cooling towers and evaporative cooling systems in reducing the water consumption of cooling systems while retaining required performance. (AIRAH)   (more...)

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