The QBCC cladding assessment is an initiative designed to assist building owners and property managers deliver on their obligations under new legislation introduced on October 1st, 2018. It has received quite a bit of attention in the media but plenty of building owners and facilities managers still aren’t clear about their obligations under the new legislation.
We’ve listened to a few people who aren’t too sure what’s going on and put together a quick guide that should help dispel any concerns and answer some of the questions we see commonly asked. Read on to learn more about the QBCC cladding assessment and determine whether it holds any relevance for you or your buildings.
The QBCC Cladding Assessment Legislation
The specific piece of legislation that gave rise to the need for QBCC cladding assessments is the Building and Other Legislation (Cladding) Amendment Regulation (2018). This was an amendment to Building Regulation 2006.
It requires, by law, that affected building owners complete the Safer Buildings QBCC combustible cladding assessment in order to assess both the safety of the cladding on their building and the necessity of contacting a contractor to assist with further assessment of the building.
So, what exactly is the QBCC Cladding Assessment?
The QBCC starts off with a basic checklist to determine if the legislation is relevant to your building . If it is, you will need to engage a Building Industry Professional to assist you with the second stage. This professional, such as a fire safety engineer, will help you complete Part 2 of the assessment, which involves determining whether you need to go to Part 3.
You must complete Part 2 by July 31, 2019.
Part 3 of the QBCC cladding assessment occurs once the online system and a Building Industry Professional have both determined that your building requires a further engineering assessment. This requires contracting the services of a qualified fire engineer to complete a Building Fire Safety Risk Assessment report on your building.
You must inform the QBCC that you have appointed an appropriate professional fire engineer by October 31, 2019. Following that, the fire engineer must complete their report by May 3, 2021. If your fire cladding is acceptable according to the fire engineer’s report, that may be the end of the process for your building. A Form 35 ‘Fire Engineer Statement’ will need to be prepared by the fire engineer for completion of the Part 3 process.
Who needs to get a QBCC Cladding Assessment?
Just about all large buildings will need to undergo the initial safety checklist part of the QBCC cladding assessment. As a business owner, there’s a chance you received a letter that would have prompted you to contact QBCC or look into completing the checklist. However, there is also a chance that you may not have received such a letter even though the audit process is applicable to your building. It’s best to jump online and go through the early stages of the QBCC cladding assessment (which you really already should have done) to determine if your building is affected.
As a very broad guide, some of the types of buildings that may need a QBCC cladding assessment include:
- Aged care homes
- Residential Unit blocks
- Office buildings
- Private schools
- Other commercial buildings
Overall, if your building is privately owned, is a multi-storey building, and was not built before the 1st of January 1994, it should undergo the QBCC cladding assessment. Multi-storey building in this context means just about anything bigger than a townhouse. Blocks of units, apartment buildings are other larger structures that will all need to undergo the QBCC cladding assessment. A basic checklist to determine if you’re eligible is below:
- Is your building privately owned?
- Did you receive development approval for the building after January 1, 1994, OR
- Have you had modifications made to the external wall cladding since that date?
- Is your building a Type A or Type B construction?
- Is your building within building classes 2 to 9?
If your building only fulfils some of the criteria listed above, you don’t need to go through the first stage of the QBCC cladding assessment, the basic checklist. However, if you’re not sure, it’s best to doublecheck rather than risk sanctions. Give us a call to see where you stand.
QBCC Cladding Assessment – Find out More
Do you want to know more about your obligations under the new legislation, or do you need to engage a qualified building professional to carry out a QBCC cladding assessment in your building?
Speak to Koroush Keshavarz, Principal Fire Engineer, or Arthur Ting, Senior Fire Engineer, here at DMA Engineers. They’re on hand to help you with any concerns you may have about your buildings and your requirements under the new legislation.
If you would like to know about the QBCC cladding assessments, click here.
