Plumbing Code of Australia

& WaterMark update

Peter Cheers

Director – Plumbing

Australian Building Codes Board

28 July 2016

Today’s topics

• A bit about the ABCB

• A bit about the NCC & the PCA

• Key initiatives underway

• Readability/Usability

• A focus on backflow prevention controls

• An improved WaterMark Scheme

• PCA Acceptable Solutions

• Changing the PCA & having your say

Regulatory Framework

State/Territory Act

National Construction

Code

Referenced documents

(Australian Standards)

State/Territory

Regulations

ABCB

Standards

Australia

Australian Building Codes Board

• The Board is a joint initiative of all governments and

exists by way of an Inter-governmental Agreement

• The Mission is to address issues of safety and

health, amenity and sustainability in the design,

construction and performance of buildings

• 8 State and Territory Governments

• Commonwealth Government

• Local government

• 5 Industry Representatives (incl. 1 plumbing)

• 2 supporting committees

– Building Codes Committee

– Plumbing Code Committee

National Construction Code

One code – three volumes

NCC Objectives

• Minimum necessary requirements to efficiently

achieve the Mission

• Requirements rigorously tested to ensure they are

effective and proportional to an identified problem

• No non-regulatory alternative

• Need to be Performance-based and verifiable

• Need to be consistent across the States and

Territories – as far is practicable

• Need to be clear, concise and drafted to promote

consistent interpretation

How to comply – three volumes

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS (Mandatory)

PERFORMANCE

Solution

(Alternative Solution)

DEEMED-TO-SATISFY

Solution and/or

PCA coverage

Section A Section B-F

Performance Requirements & DtS Provisions

B - Water Services

C - Sanitary Plumbing & Drainage

F - On-site Wastewater

E - HVAC

D - Stormwater

How to use the PCA

Structure

Standards

Definitions

Building Classifications

Changes to amendment cycle

• Up to NCC 2016 – annual cycle

– Changes to content and references occurred every year

– Industry constantly chasing to keep up

• From NCC 2016 – 3 year cycle

– Content and deemed-to-satisfy references will remain static

for 3 years

– Stability for industry generally

– Performance solutions are always an option to cater to

innovation

PCA 2016 – Key changes from 1

May 2016

• Increased focus on ‘Performance Solutions’

• Consolidation of WaterMark requirements

– Terminology changes generally

– Removal of Table A2.1

– Changes to A2

– Removal of Part G

– Transitional use of PCA 2015 (A2.0)

• Adoption of AS/NZS 3500.1, 2, 3 & 4 – 2015 editions

• New cross-volume consideration boxes

• New overflow requirements for eaves gutters

introduced through the BCA

Key initiatives underway

• Improved access, education and training

• Increased use of performance

• Readability/usability

• PCA/BCA Harmonisation

• Consolidation of S & T NCC-related requirements

• Variation reduction

• PCA development research

• WaterMark improvements

• Acceptable Solutions for the PCA

• Support review of Standards development process

PCA development research

• Warm water systems

– Consultation document – current practices

– Informative guide likely to follow

• Fixture unit ratings review

– Consultation document – origins and international practice

• Rainwater capture and use

– Consultation document – current practices

– PCA changes; informative guide expected

• Backflow prevention

– Consultation document – current practices

– PCA and other changes expected

Backflow prevention –

research report

• Concerns raised by regulators and industry –

inconsistent application of requirements potentially

putting community at risk

• Research report initiated and approved in 2014

• Report developed based on desktop survey and

preliminary targeted consultation – local government,

fire authorities, WSAA, vocational educators, etc

• Report released in 2015 for public consultation

• 15 submissions received

Backflow report –

key findings

• Registration and testing are not consistently enforced

• Cross-connections generally occur in industrial or

agricultural situations. They are also under reported

• No evidence of widespread failure

• Causes – lack of awareness, poor design or mistakes

• No ‘probability’ or ‘likelihood’ in the risk assessment

(consequence based assessment insufficient)

• Inconsistent application of Appendix F (now G)

• Unclear application to non-drinking water installations

• Containment protection application and

responsibilities unclear

Recommendations

1. Containment protection should continue to be set by

the NUOs, where they currently do so, while also

being retained within the PCA.

2. ABCB set up a dialogue with the NUOs/water

entities, for the purpose of raising awareness of the

PCA (including AS/NZS 3500), supporting its

consistent adoption where appropriate, and

otherwise achieving consistency between it and the

separate backflow prevention requirements set

under NUO regulations.

Recommendations

3. Develop a freely available non-regulatory ‘Cross-

Connection Control Manual’ similar to the US-EPA

manual.

4. Clarify in the PCA that above ground or partly buried

domestic rainwater tanks are to be classified as Low

Hazard installations, including a definition of the

term ‘partly buried’.

5. Develop a probability and consequence based risk

assessment Verification Method for determining

appropriate backflow prevention and to support the

PCA Performance Requirements.

Recommendations

6. Develop new Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions (DtS) for

inclusion in the PCA 2019 Public Comment Draft to

replace Appendix F (G) of AS/NZS 3500.1.

The new DtS would provide a regulatory solution for

assigning a Hazard Rating to different installations or

sites (i.e. not informative).

Any changes to application would be subject to a

regulatory impact assessment process.

Recommendations

7. Amend Part B3 of the PCA (Non-drinking water

services) to clarify the requirement for backflow

prevention to protect non-drinking water supplies, as

well as drinking water supplies.

8. Develop a proposal for consideration by Standards

Australia to amend AS/NZS 3500.1 to provide a

more specific, prescriptive and minimum necessary

technical solution for clearances and access for

maintenance around backflow prevention devices.

Recommendations

9. Continue to work with the States and Territories and

assist them in consolidating relevant relevant

backflow prevention (containment protection)

regulations set by NUOs/water entities into the PCA.

10.Engage with NUOs/water entities, as users and

beneficiaries of the WaterMark Certification Scheme,

as stakeholders in the scheme insofar as it applies

to backflow prevention devices and the like.

WaterMark Implementation

LAUNCH SCHEME

Published draft

scheme rules and

new fee structure

1 July 2016

PUBLISH RULES

Implement fee structure

1 January 2017

IMPLEMENTATION

(transition arrangements)

from 1 July 2017

WaterMark Implementation

• New product database

• Cost recovery arrangements

• Product status in improved Scheme

• Current WM certificates, licences and product

• Exempted products and PCA Part A2

• Testing requirements

• Education and awareness initiatives and resources

• Further info at Watermark@abcb.gov.au

PCA Acceptable Solutions

• NCC – optional means of compliance

– Performance Solutions

– Deemed-to-satisfy Solutions

• Referenced document (as in Vol 1, 2 & 3)

• Acceptable Solution (as in Vol 2)

• Direct content (as in Vol 1, 2 and some of 3)

• NCC Volume Two

– Housing Provisions – ‘Acceptable Construction Practice’

– Limited to Class 1 and 10 (housing and sheds etc)

• New Zealand Building Code

– ‘Acceptable Solutions’ compliance option

– Simple, limited solutions (3 stories for plumbing)

Summary of PCA 2019 – Current

proposed inclusions

• Harmonisation changes

– Boilers and pressure vessels

– Microbial control

– Stormwater?

– HVAC, firefighting water services?

• Consolidation matters – plumbing outside the PCA

• Acceptable Solutions – new PCA deemed-to-satisfy

• Backflow prevention requirements

– Report outcomes

• Rainwater capture requirements

– Report outcomes

Changing the PCA

Changes to the NCC can be initiated through

government policy direction, project work of the

ABCB, Proposals for Change (PFC) or request from

Standards Australia to amend/revise a reference

Proposals must contain supporting information and

be of sufficient merit to warrant consideration

The Plumbing Code Committee (PCC) provides

technical advice on proposed changes

Proposed changes are released for public comment

Comments are considered by the PCC, the changes

are finalised and submitted to the Board for

endorsement

NCC 2019 – Key Dates

• 1 September 2017 – Proposals for change close

• 1 February 2018 – Public comment opens (10 weeks)

• 13 April 2018 – Public comment closes

• 1 May 2018 – closing date for NCC referenced docs

• February 2019 – NCC 2019 preview available

• 1 May 2019 – NCC 2019 adopted into legislation

NCC registrations

• Approximately 175,000 building associated

practitioners (140,000 Builders + certifiers,

Engineers, Architects etc) – over 85,000 registrations

for NCC (47%)

• Approximately 55,000 licenced plumbers – less than

2,000 registrations for the NCC (3.6%)

• More interest needed – PCA changes affect all

plumbers – a long way to go from 3.6%…

Thanks for listening!

Peter Cheers

www.abcb.gov.au