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steel Australia – March 2013 18 Compliance Point 1 Non-compliant, fraudulent or counterfeit steel products are of international concern Through the ASI’s involvement with international steel associations we are being advised of a need to be vigilant on steelwork quality. There have been two recent reports that bring the point home that quality issues seen in Australia cross oceans - firstly from a highly regarded US engineering publication. Extract from Engineering News-Record 2010 (ENR) article showing that steel is the top most counterfeit construction product imported into the US ( fasteners, ie bolts second) Then more recently is an alert from the Standing Committee on Structural Safety in the UK (SCOSS) to be found on their website http://www.structural-safety.org/. SCOSS issued an alert for distribution in the UK as a result of many recent reports from the Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety body (CROSS) about non-compliance and falsification of certification from overseas steelwork supply mainly from non-European origin. An extract is as follows: “SCOSS has become aware of a number of instances where certification accompanying proprietary products has stated compliance with standards or specified requirements, but the products have been found not to be in accordance with specification. On several occasions, this has led to premature structural failure of the component at loads well below the intended design.” In Australia, concern on a number of significant steel projects by the state transit authority in Queensland prompted a National Structural Steel review in which the ASI assisted with an educational campaign in support of the findings. Quality issues prompted a tightening of compliance provisions for both the Queensland and NSW transit authorities. This focussed the ASI’s attention to be alert to non-compliance in a whole range of steelwork and representations have been made on quality issues ranging from portal frames, guard rails, sheds, bridge trusses and building construction projects. Some of the issues uncovered go as far as fraudulent behaviour like falsified test certificates, silicon welds, attachment of bolt heads and water filled tube to increase weight. Point 2 Australia is moving to global sourcing without a commensurate compliance regime In recent years Australia has become exposed to the full ramifications of a global market in steel and steelwork supply. The lack of rigour in current Australian compliance regimes (compared with our equivalents overseas like the US, Canada, the UK) covering the supply of structural steel can lead to an unacceptable degree of non-compliant, unsuitable and often faulty steelwork for major development projects in Australia. Feedback from ASI members through having to rectify foreign product and deal with repercussions of field failures has raised awareness that there needs to be a tighter compliance structure within Australia. This has also been acknowledged by the Australian Procurement Construction Council (APCC), Queensland Transport and Main Roads and NSW Roads and Marine Services. There is little regulatory framework for independent testing of materials in construction contracts or onus on design professionals or procurers to take responsibility to check for product not meeting their specifications. The presence of a rigorous compliance regime and regulatory support will it is believed, balance the commercial pressures of cost and speed with compliance and safety. Historically the Australian marketplace has been conditioned to good quality supply either manufactured by local manufacturers or imported and certified through Australian manufacturer networks. Local manufacturers are (rightly) subjected to the quality and OH&S regimes defined by local standards and mandated through such vehicles as the Building Code of Australia. Internationally procured product is often not subject to these regimes and the overseas manufacturers are often beyond the reach of an Australian regulatory system that has historically focussed on Australian manufacture. The fact that the regulatory framework has not kept up with these changes simply exacerbates these issues. This leads to the question: should the Australian public be exposed to greater risk of a significant failure occurring involving loss of life or serious injury before we can drive regulatory change? The compelling case for steelwork compliance Article by ASI National Manager (Marketing), DAVID RYAN heading the ASI compliance program with PHIL CASEY and DR PETER KEY TOP 10 COUNTERFEIT CONSTRUCTION GOODS 1 Steel 2 Fasteners 3 Valves 4 Pipe 5 Circuit Breakers 6 Rotating Equipment Parts 7 Electric Equipment 8 Pipe Fittings 9 Pressure Vessels 10 Cement SOURCE: CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY INSTITUTE David Ryan
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The compelling case for steelwork compliancesteel.org.au/media/File/Steel_Aust_March_2013_p1826.pdf · Chairman of WD3 the AS/NZS 1554 Australian /NZ welding code, ... Part of this

Apr 10, 2018

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Page 1: The compelling case for steelwork compliancesteel.org.au/media/File/Steel_Aust_March_2013_p1826.pdf · Chairman of WD3 the AS/NZS 1554 Australian /NZ welding code, ... Part of this

steel Australia – March 201318

Compliance

Point 1

Non-compliant, fraudulent or counterfeitsteel products are of international concern

Through the ASI’s involvement withinternational steel associations we are beingadvised of a need to be vigilant on steelworkquality. There have been two recent reportsthat bring the point home that quality issuesseen in Australia cross oceans - firstly from ahighly regarded US engineering publication.

Extract from Engineering News-Record 2010(ENR) article showing that steel is the top mostcounterfeit construction product imported intothe US ( fasteners, ie bolts second)

Then more recently is an alert from theStanding Committee on Structural Safety inthe UK (SCOSS) to be found on their websitehttp://www.structural-safety.org/. SCOSSissued an alert for distribution in the UK as a result of many recent reports from theConfidential Reporting on Structural Safetybody (CROSS) about non-compliance andfalsification of certification from overseassteelwork supply mainly from non-Europeanorigin. An extract is as follows:

“SCOSS has become aware of a number ofinstances where certification accompanyingproprietary products has stated compliancewith standards or specified requirements, butthe products have been found not to be inaccordance with specification. On severaloccasions, this has led to premature structuralfailure of the component at loads well belowthe intended design.”

In Australia, concern on a number ofsignificant steel projects by the state transitauthority in Queensland prompted aNational Structural Steel review in which theASI assisted with an educational campaignin support of the findings. Quality issuesprompted a tightening of complianceprovisions for both the Queensland andNSW transit authorities. This focussed theASI’s attention to be alert to non-compliancein a whole range of steelwork andrepresentations have been made on qualityissues ranging from portal frames, guardrails, sheds, bridge trusses and buildingconstruction projects. Some of the issuesuncovered go as far as fraudulent behaviourlike falsified test certificates, silicon welds,attachment of bolt heads and water filledtube to increase weight.

Point 2

Australia is moving to global sourcingwithout a commensurate compliance regime

In recent years Australia has becomeexposed to the full ramifications of a globalmarket in steel and steelwork supply. Thelack of rigour in current Australiancompliance regimes (compared with ourequivalents overseas like the US, Canada,the UK) covering the supply of structuralsteel can lead to an unacceptable degree ofnon-compliant, unsuitable and often faultysteelwork for major development projects inAustralia. Feedback from ASI membersthrough having to rectify foreign productand deal with repercussions of field failureshas raised awareness that there needs to bea tighter compliance structure withinAustralia. This has also been acknowledgedby the Australian Procurement ConstructionCouncil (APCC), Queensland Transport and

Main Roads and NSW Roads and MarineServices. There is little regulatory frameworkfor independent testing of materials inconstruction contracts or onus on designprofessionals or procurers to takeresponsibility to check for product notmeeting their specifications. The presence ofa rigorous compliance regime andregulatory support will it is believed, balancethe commercial pressures of cost and speedwith compliance and safety.

Historically the Australian marketplace hasbeen conditioned to good quality supplyeither manufactured by local manufacturersor imported and certified through Australianmanufacturer networks. Local manufacturersare (rightly) subjected to the quality andOH&S regimes defined by local standardsand mandated through such vehicles as theBuilding Code of Australia.

Internationally procured product is often not subject to these regimes and theoverseas manufacturers are often beyondthe reach of an Australian regulatory system that has historically focussed onAustralian manufacture.

The fact that the regulatory framework hasnot kept up with these changes simplyexacerbates these issues.

This leads to the question: should theAustralian public be exposed to greater riskof a significant failure occurring involvingloss of life or serious injury before we candrive regulatory change?

The compelling case forsteelwork complianceArticle by ASI National Manager (Marketing), DAVID RYAN heading the ASI complianceprogram with PHIL CASEY and DR PETER KEY

TOP 10 COUNTERFEIT CONSTRUCTION GOODS

1 Steel

2 Fasteners

3 Valves

4 Pipe

5 Circuit Breakers

6 Rotating Equipment Parts

7 Electric Equipment

8 Pipe Fittings

9 Pressure Vessels

10 Cement

SOURCE: CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY INSTITUTE

David Ryan

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steel Australia – March 2013 19

Point 3

Quality compliance is a process that needsto be ‘designed in’ and a purchasingenvironment to buy cheapest and thenrectify problems as they are found is flawed

An example of needing control at the pointof execution is seen in steelwork welding. As experienced fabricators and engineerswould be aware, welding is a special processunder ISO 9001. This means that there is noway to fully assess the properties of theweld during or after production withoutdestroying the component being fabricated.To achieve compliant welds you need acompliant process.

Chairman of WD3 the AS/NZS 1554Australian /NZ welding code, Bruce Cannoncomments:

“The intent of AS/NZS 1554 is to produce awelded joint that will give a result that is fitfor purpose as intended by designers.Therefore the process starts with a qualifiedwelding procedure. The weld is thenproduced by a welder qualified to use theprocedure which has been designed toproduce the desired weld quality andproperties in a repeatable manner under theguidance of a person (a welding supervisor)with sufficient skills and technical knowledgeto understand the capabilities andlimitations of the process being used andimplications toward the properties of thematerial being fabricated, therefore meetingthe requirements and intent of the standard.Quality can never be inspected in or rectifiedwith absolute surety; it must be built in fromthe ground up therefore minimising the needfor non destructive tests.”

Point 4

Australian/NZ design standards rely onAustralian/NZ welding and materialstandards as fundamentals toward achievingthe design intent

The ASI is seeing a move toward thesubstitution of international steel materialstandards for product used under theAustralian Design standard. We see pressureon specifiers to accept product complyingwith other material standards as acceptableon the basis of a limited number of tests. We also see regrading of a foreign materialstandard test certificate to an Australianstandard based on a limited number of tests.This practice is not acceptable unless it isbased on the full set of testing and testingfrequencies provided in the relevantAustralian Standard.

Point 5

The level of compliance and certificationmust be appropriate to the risk and safety ofa structure

Advice the ASI is receiving from Europeantechnical bodies is that Australia should belooking to increasing the level of compliancewith the risks associated with a structure.The European Standard EN 1090 is theguidance document under review by the ASIin formulating its compliance thinking. Thisstandard refers to execution classes formanufacturing and design based on the typeof construction or ‘consequence classes’going from farm buildings to bridges forexample. Part of this compliance regimeneeds to include third party product andqualification certification at the appropriatelevel of consequence of risk.

The ASI believes that compliance is anintegral component of construction safety.Our platform advocates:

1. Use of relevant Australian Standard where available

2. Third party product certificationcommensurate with design risk/ execution classes

3. Prequalification of the steelworkcontractor based on demonstratedcapability and certification commensurate with the design risk

Point 6

The WORK HEALTH and SAFETY ACT 2011reinforces the need for Australian productcompliance

The new harmonised Work, Health andSafety Act 2011 puts significant sharedresponsibility on all parties in theconstruction value chain, specificallymanufacturers, importers, suppliers,designers and constructors.

The ASI believes and is supported by thesafety authorities, that material and productcompliance is a necessary component of thesolution for safe design and construction.

Put bluntly, how can anybody warrant astructure is safe if they do not know that thematerial and workmanship involved in itsconstruction is not compliant to the requiredcodes. The ASI engages with members andindustry around steel material and productquality as the advisory body, publishestechnical journals and notes and organisestraining courses supporting the complianceimperative. The Institute is also represented onnumerous Standards Australia committees.

ASI Technote guidance documents for compliance are available on the ASI website. Ref http://steel.org.au/elibrary/asi-technical-notes

TN001 High Strength structural bolt assemblies to AS/NZS 1252(PDF) (44 Kb) Version 3, Feb 2012. Author: T.J. Hogan

TN005 Guidelines for designing to AS 4100 when imported materials are involved(PDF) (47 Kb) Version 3, Feb 2012. Author: T.J. Hogan

TN007 Compliance issues and steel structures (PDF) (42 Kb)Version 2, Feb 2012. Author: T.J. Hogan

TN008 Welding consumables and design of welds in AS 4100-1998 with amendment 1, 2012 (PDF) (43 Kb) Version 1, Feb 2012. Author: T.J. Hogan

TN009 Documentation of structural steel (PDF) (74 Kb)Version 1, Apr 2012, Author: T.J. Hogan

TN010 Third party steel product certification(PDF) (78 Kb) Version 1, Jul 2012. Authors: T.J. Hogan and P.W. Key

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Promotion

How can construction project managers, steel fabricatorsand engineering specifiers reduce their risk of substandardmaterials and potential failures?

■ Improving health and safety and reducing risk are key issues for allManagers nowadays. There is growing concern about whether buildingmaterials comply with the relevant Australian Standards as not allstructural, prestressing and reinforcing steel materials sold in Australiaand New Zealand meet Australian and New Zealand Standards.

■ Compliance of materials and services in the Australian market withAustralian Standards is normally voluntary unless the materials orservices are regulated by Government. The Building Code of Australiagives some regulation but the onus is on builders and specifiers tocheck compliance. The Government will not do it for you – no-one willenforce the Building Code on your projects except you!

■ Ensuring that materials are independently tested and certified tocomply with Standards is a risk management issue. Effective productquality checking processes are necessary if the risks and potentialconsequences of failures are to be avoided.

■ Some suppliers are tempted to reduce quality. ACRS assessmentensures a level playing field of compliant suppliers both local andoffshore. ACRS assessments, checklists and ongoing monitoringevery quarter of compliant suppliers can play an important part inbringing you peace of mind in these situations.

Suppliers, users and specifiers take responsibility for productquality and carry the risk if product failure occurs. How doyou minimise your Risk?

Builders are reliant on their professional advisers to certify their projectsand they need help to reduce their risks and legal liabilities. Independentthird party certifying can provide this.

ACRS sets the standard for independent third party product certification

■ ACRS is an independent third party certifier which monitors andverifies compliance to Australian Standards for reinforcing, pre-stressing and a growing range of structural steel materials.

■ Not all product certifiers are the same or offer the same service. ACRSis focussed on product certification as its core competence. It is a full service, independent third party certification body.

■ It is not a quality system certification or testing processes certificationbody offering limited add-on services. It offers considerably morethan ISO 9000+ providers.

■ ACRS is non-discriminatory. It follows established internationalmodels and is voluntary and inclusive of imported steels, regardlessof country of origin or commercial affiliation.

■ The ACRS mark on tags and certificates is recognised as showingconformity by the certificate holder to AS/NZ Standards and ensuresthat compliance is demonstrated to be more than just amanufacturer’s statement.

■ An ACRS certificate provides confidence that constructors andspecifiers will get the quality they are paying for and have specifiedand satisfies the requirement to minimise risk and provide a levelplaying field.

ACRS was formed by the construction industry, for the construction industry

■ ACRS was formed in 2000 by representative organisations from theAustralian construction industry as an independent, expert, product-based third party assessment body.

■ ACRS provides the construction industry with an independent vehicleto ensure compliance and put their minds at rest.

■ ACRS assists engineers, certifiers and surveyors to ask the rightquestions when they are signing off projects for the builder.

■ ACRS provides easy-to-use tools to ensure these tasks are carried outprofessionally and efficiently.

■ ACRS assessors, auditors and management are experiencedprofessionals with long experience in steel manufacture, supply,design and construction. ACRS was created using the modelestablished 30 years ago in UK and that is widely regarded as theinternational ‘gold standard’ for reinforcing and prestressing steelcertification.

■ In early 2009 ACRS was approached by industry to extend its scheme to include structural steels and after a comprehensiveconsultation period with major industry and government stakeholdersACRS commenced certification of structural steel manufacturers inmid-2010.

First party certificationManufacturer’s statement – “caveat emptor”

Second party certificationCustomer arranges testing – becoming rare

Third party certification

A third party, independent of either thefirst or second parties, undertakesassessment, but the manufacturersubmits its own data/samples foracceptance by the certifier

Independent, third partycertification withindependent verification

A third party, independent of either the first or second parties, undertakesassessment and test samples areselected by the certifier and testingundertaken at a laboratory chosen by the certifier

To demonstrate compliance to Standards, the supplier and thecustomer have choices:

Our Mission: “The continued manufacture and supply of reliable, safe, consistent quality

Reduce Your Risk With ACRS Verified Materials– Quality Certified Construction Steel Products

“You may not be getting what you think you are”

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structural, reinforcing and prestressing steels to Australian and New Zealand Standards”

ACRS completes the Three Part Chain of Certification –Quality, Testing and Product

■ ACRS certification complements, but does not overlap with, the twoother important certification systems usually required in themanufacture and supply of construction steels: Quality SystemsCertification and Testing Laboratory Certification.

■ The general quality of steel materials is demonstrated through amanufacturer or supplier having certification demonstrating its qualitysystems meet the recognised standard ISO 9001 and that thelaboratory used for testing the materials is certified as competent by abody such as NATA.

■ ACRS certification then verifies that the full range of testing has beenperformed on the full range of materials from the appropriate facilitiesto validate the supplier’s claims of conformity to a particular AS/NZSStandard by undertaking interim assessments through the course ofeach 12-month period on top of the normal yearly site audit.

ACRS reduces risk for specifiers, builders and suppliers

■ ACRS confirms suppliers are doing all the tests the Standardsdemand and then monitors the results over time. That means userscan be confident ACRS approved steels from certified suppliers willmeet the Standard when they buy.

■ Without ACRS certification, how do you know the right tests havebeen done and how do you know the materials arriving onsiteactually passed the tests?

■ If only single, mill certificate type tests are relied upon for acceptanceof materials from all production batches of supply, who is verifyingthe supply during the other 364-days in the year? ACRS does.

■ ACRS certification is the simplest, most reliable and most transparentmeans of managing risk to ensure that steel materials supplied toprojects are the expected quality.

ACRS makes it easy to source compliant materials

■ There is usually no need to make any further checks on ACRSapproved materials beyond checking the supplier’s ACRS certificateand matching it to the product tags or labels.

■ No more checking materials’ properties against technicalspecifications; no more checking batch numbers against the testcertificates. With ACRS it’s easy for suppliers, easy for customers andit’s easy for designers and certifiers.

■ ACRS certifies not just domestic suppliers, but also world-class,overseas manufacturers, giving Australian and internationalcustomers the widest choice of materials complying with Australianand New Zealand Standards.

■ ACRS currently certifies over 150 manufacturing and processing sitesoperated by 45 companies in 15 countries, globally.

ACRS is supported by Construction Specifiers, Users and Suppliers

Having the construction industry’s leading organisations and experience around the ACRS Board table assists ACRS to ensure relevance and quality of processes and governance. Steel suppliers are limited to a minority position on theBoard to ensure credibility, impartiality and independence.

■ Australian Constructors Association■ Australian Institute of Building■ Australian Institute of Building Surveyors■ Australian Steel Institute■ Australasian Wire Industry Association ■ Austroads■ Bureau of Steel Manufacturers of Australia■ Consult Australia■ Engineers Australia■ Housing Industry Association■ Master Builders Australia■ National Precast Concrete Association■ Post-tensioning Institute of Australia■ Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia■ University of Melbourne

What does ACRS offer?

■ Independent, rigorous, external assessment process from basic steelproduction to processing and onsite delivery.

■ Review of company QA systems to ensure processes developed by acompany are being consistently followed.

■ Testing of finished materials to ensure they comply with the relevantAustralian materials and processing Standards.

■ Monitoring long-term statistical recording of standards-mandated testresults (often referred to as ‘LTQ testing’) to prove compliance toAustralian Standards requirements.

■ Annual inspections of ALL materials in ALL locations with third partysampling and testing to corroborate long-term test reporting.

■ ACRS is not a quality system certification or testing processescertification body – it is a full service product certifier.

REDUCE YOUR RISK WITH ACRS VERIFIED MATERIALS

ACRS Phone: +61 2 9965 7216 Email: [email protected] Box 1369 Crows Nest NSW 1585 Australia

www.steelcertification.com

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steel Australia – March 201322

Compliance

The ASI has become aware of instances where certificationaccompanying products has stated compliance with standards orspecifications but on testing the product has been found non-compliant. In addition the test certification has either not beencomplete or represents a failed product.

Most common however is that the certificate is not being criticallyassessed by the builder or engineer.

Recently the ASI has been involved with a truss structure that failedbecause the steelwork did not meet the engineer’s specification. Yieldstrength was significantly below the required Australian Standard.Examples like this prompted the ASI to issue technical note TN10concerning the need for third party product certification. In theintroduction to this technote we state;

“The globalisation of the steel industry and the increase in thenumber of domestic suppliers and processors has created thepotential for the supply of construction steels of unconfirmed originand quality. Due to the strong focus on quality and safety in theAustralian construction industry, local builders, specifiers, designersand customers expect construction materials to comply with allrelevant Australian and New Zealand Standards. However, withreinforcing, prestressing and structural steels now sourced frommultiple suppliers both from within Australia and from other parts ofthe world often even within a single project, designers, specifiersand contractors can no longer assume that the construction steeldelivered to the construction site will necessarily meet theirminimum requirements.”

This technote provides guidance on the wording for specifiers’documentation:

There has been some confusion in the market about what constitutesthird party inspection and how various schemes apply in theAustralian context. The Australian Standard AS ISO/IEC 1700-2005refers to the types of conformity assessment.

First Party – performed by the person or organisation that providesthe object.

Second Party – performed by a person or organisation that has auser interest in the product (ie; the customer gets check testing)

Third Party – a conformity assessment performed by a person orbody that is independent of the body that provides the object.

Third party product certification is not to be confused with a qualitymanagement system or even laboratory testing and certification.

However there is also some need to distinguish between third partyproduct certification schemes.

Primarily there are many third party certification bodies, there areless third party product certification bodies, even less that have atrack record of certifying steel, and fewer that understand and arefamiliar with Australian steel standards.

Therefore a simple check list on certification bodies is:

• There is confidence in the capability and experience to assess steelto Australian Standards.

• The certifier assesses the steel make over a statistically validperiod of time (one-off tests do not make a steel supplier capable!)

• All the locations for that steelmaker are being assessed so productsubstitution cannot be made.

• The full product range in a product type is being assessed.

• The assessment to validate materials is being carried out regularly.

• All the components/requirements of the standard are beingassessed, including product marking and test certification, to therequirements of the Standard.

• The test samples are being selected by the certifying assessors toensure that not only pre-selected ‘safe’ samples are being tested.

• The statistical production data is being examined and verified at least quarterly to determine if the supplier’s process isconsistently ‘capable’.

• The certification is reviewed every 12 months.

The ASI recommends that all third party assessment bodies meetthese requirements.

ACRS as the third party certification body certifying BlueScope Steeland OneSteel for plate, structural hollow sections, hot rolled sectionsand welded beams meets these criteria.

* Article by ASI National Manager – Marketing, David Ryan

Third party product conformityassessment for steelwork specifiers*

”There has been some confusion in the market about what constitutes third party inspection and how variousschemes apply in the Australian context. The Australian Standard ASISO/IEC 1700-2005 refers to the types of conformity assessment.“

SUGGESTED NOTE FOR STRUCTURAL DRAWINGS

‘Structural steel shall comply with all requirements of therelevant Australian Standards. Manufacturers of structuralsteel shall hold a valid certificate of approval issued by anacceptable third party compliance assessment body such asthe Australian Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels(ACRS). Evidence of compliance must be submitted whentendering and as part of the quality assurance process.’

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To fi nd out more about how OneSteel product reduces your risk,

visit www.buildwithstandards.com.au

An Arrium Company

©Copyright 2013. OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Limited ABN 42 004 651 325. SJ0394

Engineers designing to AS 4100 Steel Structures and AS 3600 Concrete Structures need to ensure steel complies with relevant Australian Standards.

OneSteel manufactures and supplies an extensive range of ACRS certifi ed construction steels that meet Australian Standards. ACRS Certifi cation is confi rmation from an independent authority that OneSteel manufactures products to the Australian Standard, and does so consistently.

Why take the risk, insist on OneSteel product.

REDUCE YOUR RISK

SPECIFYING AND USING ONESTEEL

PRODUCT REDUCES YOUR RISK.

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steel Australia – March 201324

Australia is not alone in actively pursuing an assurance regimebased on independent third party assessment of steelworkcomponents as is common in other developed nations dealing withproduct sourced from a widening range of emerging overseassupplier markets.

European Union

CE (Conformité Européenne) marking of all construction productspermanently incorporated into construction works is legally enforcedwithin the European Economic Area (EEA).

From mid 2013, CE marking will be mandatory for all constructionproducts covered by a harmonised standard. This holistic approachplaces significant responsibility on all parties in the constructionvalue chain including manufacturers, distributors and importers.

Products considered a greater risk like structural steelwork inconstruction have to be independently certified by a ‘notified body’which has to be an organisation nominated by a EEA member statenotified by the European Commission.

A manufacturer can choose its own ‘notified body’ in any Member State of the European Union but should be independent of the manufacturer and a private sector organisation or agovernment agency.

The Standing Committee on Structural Safety (SCOSS) in the UK asrecently as this February issued an alert to industry spurred by themany recent submissions to the country’s Confidential Reporting onStructural Safety (CROSS) body about non-compliance andfalsification of certification from overseas steelwork supply, mainlyfrom non-European origin. CROSS is the UK scheme that usesconfidential reports to highlight lessons that have been learnt togenerate feedback and to influence change.

The reports relate to a variety of products including end connectorsfor tension rods, but evidence has been presented which shows thatthe problem extends to steel plate, fasteners and other castcomponents. There have been occurrences of unacceptable materials,workmanship, tolerances and defects, all hidden by inaccurate,missing or anomalous records. In this respect, it is consideredessential to establish the country and place of manufacture whenassessing the risk of anomalous records.

Structurally separate from CROSS, SCOSS reviews building and civilengineering matters affecting the safety of structures to identify inadvance trends and developments which may risk structural safety.

SCOSS reports that for proprietary products for new structures,independent third party verification by witnessing manufacture,destructive and/or non-destructive or proof testing as appropriate isrecommended irrespective of certification provided by amanufacturer or their agent.

CROSS/SCOSS noted that the frequency of reported incidentsinvolving misleading or even falsified documents and the fact thatthey apply to a wide array of products strongly suggests thesepractices are not rare there.

On top of that, the currency of reports suggests that existing UKstructures are likely to include components which are not inaccordance with specification which may well require retrospectiveassessment of risks and even removal of components found non-compliant with the additional costs that implies.

CROSS/SCOSS stress that verification should be carried out bypersonnel holding internationally recognised certificates ofcompetence in the relevant non-destructive testing technique.

North America

Canada also requires strong onus of third party oversight over thedesign and construction of steel structures.

As Canadian Welding Bureau CEO Douglas Luciani explained to theASI, the design and construction of steel structures is governed bythe National Building Code and CSA (National) standards for design,construction, fabrication and materials.

“Canadian Standards for welding fabrication require third partyoversight through a certification process for fabricators and erectorsto ensure that compliance to the construction codes has been met,”he said.

“In addition, engineers involved in design of steel structures must besuitably qualified and licensed by provincial engineering associations– again independent oversight of this profession takes place.”

“The notion that third party oversight adds significant cost to thefabrication has not proven to be the case in the Canadian experience.”

Compliance

Developed markets demandthird party checks

“The frequency of reported incidentsinvolving misleading or even falsifieddocuments and the fact that they apply to a wide array of productsstrongly suggests these practices are not rare there.”

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What could happen to your reputation if the worst should happen and the product you specified wasn’t actually supplied? We’ve made it simple to mitigate that risk. Simply look for the BlueScope Steel mark.

BlueScope Steel stencils all of its AS/NZS 3678:2011 structural steel plate with the necessary compliance information for identification and traceability. Test certificates supplied, and accessible online for up to 20 years, provide assurance that our products meet or exceed Australian Standards.

Now for added assurance, ACRS has independently assessed BlueScope Steel to have the capability to manufacture to Australian Standard AS/NZS 3678 and verified that it consistently does so. So when you see BlueScope Steel and ACRS accreditation on XLERPLATE® steel plate, you can be 100% confident it’s 100% compliant.

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XLERPLATE® and BlueScope are registered trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited. © 2013 BlueScope Steel Limited ABN 16 000 011 058. All rights reserved. SA32834

xlerplate.com.au/AustralianStandards

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steel Australia – March 201326

Conformity assessment developments in post-installed mechanical and chemical anchors*

This paper summarises current developments in conformity assessment forthe Australian anchoring industry focusing on post-installed (mechanicaland chemical bonded) anchors used to connect structural steel to otherelements. The reasons for focusing on anchorage include:

(i) There are no generic Australian standards or industry codes ofpractice available to suppliers and engineers for testing or design ofsuch anchors.

(ii) Anchors are often used to connect dissimilar materials and hence donot naturally fall under a material specific standard.

(iii)There have been significant changes in technology in recent timeswhere many new imported products are available locally.

Overview of conformity assessment system

To ensure that a building product is suitable for the intended use, fourkey requirements need to be satisfied:

(a) The specified requirements must be appropriate. This is related toidentifying the technical demands of the application and determiningappropriate specifications of the product to be used.

(b) The product must conform to the specified requirements. This is themain subject of conformity assessment.

(c) The product must be of consistent quality. This may or may not bepartly covered under conformity assessment depending on thescheme and could also be addressed by quality assurance.

(d) The product must be installed correctly. This is related to thesupplier’s installation procedures, the skill of the installer andassociated supervision and inspection processes. For connections ingeneral and anchors in particular this is of paramount importance.Poor installation often causes unsatisfactory performance and is thearea with the least regulation and consistency in approach.

Thus conformity assessment affects all participants in the industry.

Australian context

i. Role of the Building Surveyor

In the Australian building regulatory systems, the task of ensuring theconstruction meets the requirements of the National ConstructionCodes (NCC) is given to the building surveyor (also called buildingcertifier) who can either operate within the private or public domain.

In carrying out this task, the building surveyor is guided by the NCCVol.1 Part A2 or NCC Vol. 2 Part 1.2 ‘Acceptance of design andconstruction’, and has considerable flexibility in applying this Clause.

There are also regulations related to work health and safety which must besatisfied by products particularly during the construction stage.

ii. Options for conformity assessment

Conformity assessment is not mandatory in the trading of buildingproducts. Non-conforming products however may fall foul of consumerprotection legislation which prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct,false representations and unfair practices. Consumer protectionlegislation covers quality (including durability) and workmanship issueswhich are not universally covered under building regulation.

Various types of documents are used in conformity assessment. Theseinclude those listed under Evidence of suitability as well as otherrelated documents such as NCC referenced documents and appraisalreports. One type of document may rely on other types of documentsfor support. A flow chart outlining the options for conformityassessment is provided in Fig.1.

It is useful to distinguish products that are listed under Deemed-to-Satisfy(DST) provisions of the NCC and products used in Alternative Solution.The latter usually do not have a corresponding standard and need some

form of evaluation. The level of stringency of conformity assessmentshould vary with the level of risk associated with product failure.

Application to anchors

The options that are available to anchors are shown in Figure 1 in bold line.

In Australia, most engineers rely on technical data provided by themanufacturers or suppliers for the selection and detailing of anchors. For major projects, engineers often require from the suppliers a form ofcertification of their products. Due to lack of local DTS, suppliersgenerally provide either an American ICC (International Code Council)Evaluation Report which provides compliance with relevant codes or anequivalent European ETA. For infrastructure projects, Australian TechnicalInfrastructure Committee (ATIC) recommends anchors to have ETA.

Given the increasing use of anchors in the construction industry andincreasing diversity in supply, the local industry has launched a newinitiative to streamline the conformity assessment of anchors. This initiativeis the formation of the Australian Engineered Fasteners and AnchorsCouncil (AEFAC) which is founded by Ancon Building Products, HobsonEngineering Co, Hilti (Aust), ITW Construction Systems, Powers FastenersAustralasia, Würth Australia and Swinburne University of Technology whereit is based (www.AEFAC.org.au).

Currently, AEFAC is developing Australian guidelines for testing anddesign of anchors which are based on the ETA guidelines. This workaims to simplify the conformity assessment of anchors in constructionwithin the Australia regulatory framework and also develop acertification program for installers to ensure that products are used inthe intended manner. Technical notes are due for release in 2013 andguidelines to be published soon after.

Figure 1: Options for conformity assessment in Australia. Bold lines indicate pathwayscurrently available for anchors.

* Adapted from a report by Professor Emad Gad and Adjunct Professor Lam Pham ofthe Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences at Swinburne University ofTechnology. The full version of the report is available athttp://steel.org.au/elibrary/new-compliance-paper

No

No

Select one

option

Select one

option

Yes

Yes

No

Consumers Law applicable

Obtain Appraisal report for the product

Generate technical information to

support conformitydeclaration frommanufacturers

Use JAS-ANZ accredited conformity

assessment bodies(accredited product

certification body – could also be industry based)

Use non-JAS-ANZ accredited conformity

assessment bodies(professional engineers

or industry-based certification)

Product conformed to DTS requirements

1st party conformity assessment

3rd party conformity assessment

Certificate ofConformity

Certificate ofAccreditation

BUILDING SURVEYOR

Product requiredconformity assessment?

Compliance