Australian Standards and Technical Advisory Committee Updates - January, 2022
Posted on : Friday, 14 January 2022
Australian Standards
Here's the latest on fire protection-related standards building
developed at Standards Australia:
|
FP-002 Fire Detection and Alarm Systems
|
Resolution of the public comment on the AS 1670.6 revision and
AS 3786 revision (an adoption, with modification, of ISO 12239)
continues.
AS 1670.1 : 2018 amendment 1 : 2021 is available for
download.
|
|
FP-004 Automatic fire sprinkler installations
|
Progress continues on the revision of AS 2118.6.
|
|
FP-018 Fire Safety
|
Progress continues on the revisions of AS 1530.1 (Combustibility
test) and AS 1530.4 (Fire-resistance tests).
|
|
FP-020 Construction in Bushfire
Prone Areas
|
Progress continues on the new handbook for "Maintenance of
construction in bushfire-prone areas" (SA HB 208).
|
|
FP-022 Fire Protection of Mobile and Transportable
Equipment
|
Resolution of the public comment on AS 5062 continues.
|
Technical Advisory Committees update
The next TAC meetings will be held remotely in March, 2022 ,
dates are to be confirmed by each TAC chair and TAC members will be
notified accordingly.
The topic of discussion at many TACs this past year, a very
early draft of a white paper on lithium batteries fires, and the
challenge they pose was circulated to the TAC for feedback with
many members responding to this topical subject.
|
TAC/1 Maintenance of fire protection systems and
equipment
|
TAC/1 reconfirmed its work program for 2022 to continue work on
reviewing comments for the draft project proposal for the revision
of AS 1851-2012 as well as other projects to update or develop new
technical documents.
The NSW EPA sent out an email on Wednesday, 10 November, 2021,
advising that they have published further guidance information on
how to prepare for and comply with their requirements on PFAS
firefighting foams.
This is available on their website. This includes information on
identification and testing, storage, containment, disposal,
decontamination of firefighting foam infrastructure and the future
of PFAS firefighting foam.
|
|
TAC/2 Fire detection and alarm systems
|
The TAC continues to seek to progress the draft Good Practice
Guide on speaker layout. The Information Bulletin on building
occupant warning systems is also almost at the stage for final
editing.
TAC/2 is reviewing a previous draft document on detection in
carparks.
NSW continues to have the most amount of regulatory
reform. The report commissioned by the Office of the NSW Building
Commissioner was submitted to NSW cabinet with nine
recommendations, six of which align with FPA Australia's key
strategic statements.
The NSW Government has released the report which is available
for download via their website
|
|
TAC/3/7 Portable and mobile equipment
|
The ACCC has released the updated mandatory standard for
portable non-aerosol fire extinguishers!
There is a 12-month transition period during which people can
meet either the current or updated mandatory standard. The
mandatory standard is based on certain sections of the voluntary
Australian New Zealand standard AS/NZS 1841.1:2007 Portable fire
extinguishers.
There has been much progress in this space with documents on
extinguisher agent replacement and foam extinguisher marking in
advanced development as well as issue registers being created for a
potential revision of AS/NZS 1841 and AS/NZS 1850.
As such, the TAC will be preparing for a busy year in 2022.
|
|
TAC/4/8/9 Fire sprinkler and hydrant systems, tanks and
fixed fire pumps
|
The TAC revisited previous work on pumpset checklists and it was
agreed that it would be made available as a free document to be
used by the industry.
There was much discussion on the requirements of different
Australian Standards including AS 2118.1 (concealed spaces,
incidental storage and protection of high voltage areas), AS 2118.6
(water supply calculation) and AS 2304 (break tanks, test drain
sizes).
|
|
TAC/11/22 Special hazards fire protection systems
|
There have been minimal developments at TAC/11/22 given AS 5062
is near completion and a lull in the policy space regarding
firefighting foam.
However, firefighting foams are expected to be a hot topic in
2022 with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) beginning a
review of its requirements, the implementation of the
Commonwealth's Industrial Chemicals Environmental Standard (IChEMS)
Register and an expected new firefighting foam proposal at the
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
The NSW EPA sent out an email on Wednesday 10
November 2021, advising that they have published further guidance
information on how to prepare for and comply with their
requirements on PFAS firefighting foams. This is available on their
website.
This includes information on identification and
testing, storage, containment, disposal, decontamination of
firefighting foam infrastructure and the future of PFAS
firefighting foam.
|
|
TAC/17 Emergency planning
|
An update of the Information Bulletin on Evacuation Diagrams is
nearing completion along with a new document on the requirement to
have emergency plans.
The Information Bulletin on Evacuation Exercises During a
Pandemic has been sent to our publisher for finalisation.
Work also continues in earnest on the issue register that is to
form the basis of a potential project proposal to revise AS 3745 as
well as other technical documents that may also support
this.
|
|
TAC/18/19 Passive fire protection
|
IB-18 Using Polyurethan Foams was published on 12 November,
2021.
Work continues on another possible document on unfilled frames
in fire doorsets.
Discussion on training and other documents continues as does
contribution to the work of FP-018.
|
|
TAC/20 Bushfire Safety
|
Mark Whybro, Chair of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition
Australia, provided an update and presentation during the recent
TAC/20 meeting.
The meeting also included an update and discussion on AS
5414-2012 Bushfire water spray systems.
Work continues on a BPAD practice note on conducting BAL
assessments using method 1 of AS 3959:2018.
|