The many ways Remedial can help with BCA compliance

6 November 2020
By Jeff Anderson

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The Building Code of Australia exists within the National Construction Code and exists to stipulate the necessary minimum requirements for safety, health, amenity, and sustainability within new construction and upgrades to existing buildings. A codified series of rules, it governs technical provisions for building design and construction of buildings and other structures, allowing variations based on climate, geology and geographic conditions in Australia.
As a specialist repair company much of the work we offer spans multiple components of the BCA. So we thought we would give you a quick snapshot into the areas you can call on our team to help:

• Flooring safety and hygiene
• Balcony compliance
• Fire upgrades and compliance
• And much more.

Flooring Safety and Hygiene

Commercial flooring and health and safety risks

Degeneration of commercial flooring is inevitably caused by high-density foot traffic, oils and cleansers, and bearing substantial loads. Where many building proprietors may think damaged and worn out floors are a problem because they are fundamentally unattractive, the bigger concern is they actually can pose a genuine and serious health and safety risk. Damaged floors can:

• Become excessively slippery, increasing the risk of accident or injury to staff and customers.
• Become dangerously slippery, increasing the danger of mishap or injury to staff and clients.
• Become lopsided, making staff or clients trip or fall.
• Begin to trap moisture, encouraging the rapid growth of bacteria and making the space unsafe for the preparation or service of food.

As a commercial flooring specialist for more than 50 years in Sydney, Remedial Building Services has broad experience in the identification of problems and rectification of these issues. We are specialists in all aspects of commercial flooring — from investigation, problem identification, through design and installation of your customised flooring.
In compliance with the BCA, we have given top notch business flooring solutions for a scope of structures across NSW. Check out our case studies for a few examples.

Our commercial flooring solutions

Each building or structure has unique flooring needs and we offer a scope of modified solutions to suit the specific necessities of your structure and your business. These include:

• Acid and heat-resistant resin-based floor coatings
• Non-slip epoxy flooring
• Non-slip polyurethane flooring
• Methyl Methacrylate Acetate (MMA) flooring
• Showroom finish, anti-static flooring
• Pharmaceutical grade flooring suitable for ‘clean rooms’
• Hard wearing, impact resistant warehouse flooring
• Chemical and liquid bunds to contain spillages and leaks

Balcony Compliance

Regardless of whether it is done in isolation or part of a bigger project, balcony fixes may be as simple as basic retiling, to a more elaborate waterproofing effort to rectify leaks and address underlying spalling.
What is not often realised, is that leaking balconies are often a cause of water leaks in apartments and have the capability to cause substantial harm to the substrate and structural steel of the property. These leaks also enter the property and can cause water damage, lead to mould and even ruin electrical components. As a result, failing balconies can be a serious safety risk to occupants.
In summary, the risks of leaving a leaking balcony untreated include:

• Water penetration of the surrounding external walls
• Visible penetration of water beneath dwellings or adjacent to the balcony
• Damage to electrical systems causing power outages or dangerous charges
• Water stains
• Mould and damaged carpet
• And whilst rare, can lead to the eventual collapse of the balcony structure

Remedial staff are knowledgeable in recognizing and determining the origin of leaks, determining work methodologies and re-establishing the balcony to a safe and satisfactory condition within the Australian building standards.
And as an aside, if your apartment contains planter boxes, we additionally offer specialised planter box waterproofing services which are designed to stop leaking into the spaces (often carparks) beneath.

Structural Repair

No matter how well you maintain it, the truth is, your structure will develop structural issues with the passing of time — it may be it a deteriorating flashing, brick growth, foundational movement or rusted steel reinforcement. But ret assured, when you notice the issue, the longer you wait to do something about it, the worse the condition (and other corollary issues) will get.
Structural issues may not always be apparent, and may generally be seen as a rust stain, or odd leaks. Over the progression of time, these little, practically innocuous issues can grow into bigger issues causing damage to the very structure – regardless of whether it is issues with the foundation, cracks requiring façade repair, or even work to replace whole structural elements.
Remedial has more than 50 years’ understanding of these issues and the experience and systems to correct them, as evidenced through our external accreditation – including ISO 9001, 14001 and AS/NZ 4801. In other words, be assured of quality workmanship and specialised maintenance solutions for your building and structure when you partner with our team. Our proof points lie in successfully applying structural solutions to various prominent buildings and Heritage Listed Buildings such as the Department of Education Building in Sydney, The Myer Building in Brisbane and the YHA complex in Sydney.

Building Maintenance and Repairs

Fresh coats of paint can provide your structure with instant makeovers – that is true. However, a ‘good ol’ lick of paint’ might hide the scars, but it doesn’t negate the auxiliary issues which are at the heart of the problem. Truth be told, the basic act of covering over usually leads to bigger, compounded issues which end up costing significantly more to fix. This runs true regardless of whether we’re talking a large high-density residential block, a commercial tower, or a warehouse where exposure to the elements, poor construction, and general wear play contributing parts to structural and aesthetic issues.

Since our inception, Remedial has been providing coordinated structure maintenance support and rectification services. Working with engineers, strata managers, building managers and owners’ corporations to precisely understand what is required we then offer targeted solutions to address the issues you can see, and those you cannot. Our scope of building maintenance, rectification and upgrade services are compliant under the Building Code and include:

• Concrete repair
• Non-compliant cladding replacement
• Window replacement
• Balustrade replacement
• Carbon fibre strengthening
• Heritage building upgrade and maintenance works
• Brick replacement and retro-fitted brick tie installation
• Lintel replacement
• Installation of brick ties
• Flashing replacement
• Waterproofing

Fire Upgrades

By law, owners of a building are required to ensure all occupants within the building are safe. As such keeping your Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) up to date is not only essential but the law.
Under the law, you need to ensure you have up-to-date compliance and that this legal document is displayed in plain view in easy to view places. This document lists all the fundamental fire services inside the building and their corresponding installation standards and verifies that a competent fire safety expert has reviewed and affirmed that frameworks in the structure are in consistence with the Regulations.
However, the BCA is constantly upgraded, meaning over a period of time, most, if not all buildings will be served with a council fire upgrade notice, which will identify the current standards which your building fails to comply with.
At Remedial, our scope of upgrade services incorporates fire penetrations, fire doors, thin film intumescents as well as safety reviews and audits. Our qualified team of experts working with you will ensure that your building is compliant. Moreover, we can work with you to guarantee that any council served upgrade orders are resolved to the highest possible standard.

If you have any questions about any of the above, or something we haven’t discussed, get in touch with the Remedial team, we will be more than happy to assist you with your concerns.

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