Rod McInnes, Chief Executive Officer of Timber Queensland, said an Australian Industry Group survey found 92 per cent of builders had been offered faulty materials or products.
“It’s imperative building professionals understand their responsibility to only specify, use and certify building products, including timber, that are compliant with the National Construction Code and the Building Code of Australia/Australian Standards,” Mr McInnes said.
The consequences of not complying were too expensive to take the risk, and that certification and quality assurance schemes were there to assist anyone trying to evaluate product compliance.
Only timber products that have been grown and manufactured to exacting standards in Queensland, for example, can display the Accredited Queensland Timber Product logo. Mr McInnes said the Master Builders Queensland had produced an excellent resource on construction products and evidence of suitability guides to assist.
“Timber Queensland has been working with Master Builders Queensland, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission, and other industry bodies to ensure businesses have the knowledge required to determine if they are selecting and specifying true to label and fit for purpose materials,” Mr McInnes said.
These schemes, the scale of the non-conforming products issue, the risk it presents business, and the State and Federal Government’s response to the problem will all be discussed at the Timber Queensland seminar; “˜Fit for purpose timber: using the right tools for the job’, in Brisbane on 23 July 2015.
More information on the upcoming seminar, hosted by Timber Queensland, can be found on their website.
