Safety is the priority

AMBA’s priority is to foster a safe built environment for Australians, with our focus being on ensuring our buildings are designed and constructed to protect the people that construct, live and work in them.

Integral to this is support for and compliance with the NCC and the safety of the systems in which polymer-based materials are used.

The safety and integrity of our buildings is a joint responsibility, and all stakeholders in the building and construction value chains, including regulators, have key roles to play.

Recent events locally and internationally have increased attention on how to improve the fire safety of Australian buildings.

A fire-safe building requires approved construction materials that have been installed correctly and are maintained consistently and in accordance with manufacturer guidelines, as well as all national and local building and construction codes and standards.

We support the NCC’s focus on performance-based solutions, and large-scale fire testing of facades in line with Verification Method (CV3) for meeting fire safety performance requirements for fire spread.

Building Inspections 

This includes:

  • AS 5113: Fire Propagation Testing and Classification of External Walls of Buildings, and
  • AS 5637 for the assessment of internal wall and ceiling linings in commercial buildings.

Together, these testing and verification methods:

  • encourage product innovations, which drive energy efficiency
  • allow product manufacturers to meet or exceed the performance provisions of the NCC
  • enable building designers to meet multiple performance requirements, such as weight and thermal insulation properties, in a more cost-effective way.

Importantly, they do so in a system where components work together to meet the stringent safety requirements of a building’s inhabitants.

The fire performance of a facade system cannot be predicted purely based on small-scale fire tests of individual components.

Rather, it depends on the interaction of all components and the compliant installation of these systems in accordance with all local and national codes and standards.

AMBA is committed to working with industry, government, authorities and fire safety professionals to share knowledge and best practice in further advancing the safety of Australian buildings.