Article 3 - Code sets out safe practice

National Building News

Volume 8, No. 3 Pg.28.

In an attempt to prevent the rising number of fatalities and injuries that have occurred on construction sites since 2000, the Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) have announced that a code of practice for tilt-up and precast construction work will be implemented by jurisdictions within 2 years of declaration.

These accidents have occurred when concrete elements have collapsed from inadequate bracing, panels being knocked down by cranes or while being loaded or unloaded from trucks.

The new code comprises several important issues including; risk management, handling, storage and transportation, safe design, duty-holder responsibilities, prefabrication and casting, erection and demolition of tilt-up and precast panels.

This National Code of Practice has been developed to improve the safety of workers in all areas of construction, as the preservation of life is the most crucial issue confronting the construction industry today.

Site Visit 3 - Concrete Precast Panel Construction

Dandenong Road Carnegie, Melbourne.

Bracing/propping can be seen, which keeps the concrete pre-cast panels stable. It is interesting to note that full height bracing is only required for the exposed panels, the rest of the building is partially strengthened by bracing, but mainly supported by the first floor level.

Visible in this photo is a combination of timber and steel formwork supporting the dead and live loads, while the first floor concrete slab completes the drying process.

Timber and steel formwork is visible on the column; bracing has been provided in two directions and is at right angles. The formwork extends down to the bottom of the column; this is necessary because during the concrete pour pressure increases with depth, so this then helps to prevent deflection. Also visible are safety rails on the first floor level.

Shown here is bracing at 30-60° for the horizontal concrete pre-cast panels.

A Band beam can be seen in this photo, while the Bondek is exposed, forming the underside of the first floor concrete slab. Also visible are piles of formwork which have just been dismantled as the concrete setting process has past the critical stage, although bracing is still required for the columns and pre-cast panels to prevent collapse of the first floor level.

Tutorial 6 - Two Storey Office Block

Article 2 - Paperless Solution for Construction Sector

National Building News
April 2008 - Volume 8, No. 3, Pg 5.

As one of the largest commercial construction companies in Australia, Hansen Yuncken is playing a leading role in facing the challenges of climate change and global warming.
Hansen Yuncken has recently collaborated with Adelaide based software company Grazer; the aim was to provide a paperless method of supplying manuals and drawings to clients.

‘The Grazer system is a state-of-the-art software solution used for storing, accessing and updating manuals, by way of an easy-to-use graphical-based application’. This software enables operation and maintenance manuals for plumbing, fire, air-conditioning and electrical systems to be viewed on screen, with links to test reports, building and finishes schedules, technical descriptions and photos. It is a time saving process for all contractors involved, allowing immediate access and verification of all documents and information in the one location.

In this technologically advanced era, it is time-consuming, expensive and superfluous to print out thousands of documents; an electronic system is more efficient, and the Grazer is a good solution as it eliminates the need for hard-copies. For one of Hansen Yuncken’s major projects, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Stage 2, over 18000 pages were saved from being printed, and for another as yet uncompleted job, an estimated 35000 pages are estimated to be saved by project completion. Also, harmful carbon emissions contributing to climate change will, in theory, be reduced through use of this system.

Thus far, there has been no reference made of the actual cost of the software program, and it is likely to be expensive and therefore not immediately available in the marketplace for all companies to purchase; however, it does demonstrate that the Australian construction industry is heading in a positive direction, towards a sustainable future.