- 27 June 2024
Standards changes from the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 for kitchens, bathrooms and wet area products are now coming into effect, so it’s a good time for a quick recap.
With so much attention on major changes, it’s often easy to miss smaller updates. In this case, these have to do with the safety of gas appliances, plus clarifications for construction materials, kitchens and bathrooms.
Before your next new build or renovation, take five minutes to consider how these five updates might impact your process.
Engineered stone ban
In December 2023, a ban on the use, supply and manufacture of engineered stone from 1 July 2024 was announced.
Despite its benefits, engineered stone can contain high levels of crystalline silica. Workers who breathe this dust are at risk of respiratory diseases, including potentially fatal silicosis.
These changes cover:
- Silicosis, and other safety concerns
- How the ban impacts current and future projects
- What builders should do working with engineered stone prior to the ban
Floor wastes & slopes in bathrooms
The need for a floor waste in certain rooms is nothing new to the NCC. However, there have been varied opinions on the need for a fall in the floor slope towards the waste.
To clear this up, NCC 2022 attempted to explain when you do need to have a fall to the waste, and when you don’t.
These changes cover:
- Class 2, 3 or Class 4 parts of a building
- Class 1 buildings
- Plumbing and drainage requirements for bathrooms and wet areas
- Falls to floor wastes
Installing rangehoods over gas appliances
The latest edition of the gas installation standard includes several changes that affect the installation of range hoods, including a revised minimum clearance height from a cooktop which can impact replacement installations in existing kitchens.
This applies to all new installations and any modifications or extensions to existing installations, but not to existing gas installations or their repair.
These changes cover:
- Definitions of an ignitions source
- Essential Safety Requirements and Performance-based Design Requirements
- How residential and commercial installations are carried out
Corrosion protection for structural steel
These changes impact the protective coatings for structural steel elements not built into a masonry walls.
The transition period for the existing corrosion protection standard for structural steel will be finishing soon, and new NCC provisions will need to be applied.
These changes cover:
- The ABCB Housing Provisions Standard
- AS 4100 Structural Steel
- Structural steel located internally to the building
Updates timeframes for the transition to lead-free plumbing products
A major change in NCC is the decrease in the allowable lead content in plumbing products that come into contact with drinking water.
Soon, only those products that meet the lead-free requirements will be permitted in all plumbing installations across Australia.
These changes cover:
- When products should be lead free
- Builder and subcontractor responsibilities
- Regulatory requirements that involve product certification
Content sourced from www.hia.com.au.
