COMPLIANCE PATHWAYS AND THE NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CODE

EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT COMPLIANCE

Documentary Evidence

An important component of achieving compliance with the NCC is documenting the suitability of the design, construction and/or use of materials to demonstrate that they meet the relevant Performance Requirements. Part A5 of each Volume of the NCC includes the documentation of design and construction provisions. Various forms of documentary evidence, known as Evidence of Suitability, may be used to prove that the materials, products, forms of construction or designs are code compliant.4

Both Performance Solutions and DtS Solutions can be assessed with Evidence of Suitability. Determining the appropriate form of documentary evidence for the chosen solution, and obtaining evidence, is not enough to achieve compliance with the NCC.5 Note that having the appropriate documentary evidence for a specific component is meaningless if non-conforming components are then used.

Choosing the Appropriate Form of Evidence
The most appropriate form of evidence is dependent on the circumstances. In general, new or innovative product components (i.e. materials, products, forms of construction and designs) where the consequences of failure are high will require more rigorous forms of
evidence to prove compliance. By contrast, product components with a long history of use in Australia and a low probability of failure, or where the consequences of failure are assessed as low, will typically require less rigorous forms of evidence.

The Evidence of Suitability Framework
The Evidence of Suitability framework arranges options of forms of evidence in a hierarchy, from most to least rigorous. The forms of evidence are as follows:6

• CodeMark or CodeMark Australia Certificate of Conformity. The most rigorous form of evidence, CodeMark certification is issued under the CodeMark or CodeMark Australia scheme by an accredited certification body, and provides independent confirmation that a building product or system is code compliant. The benefits of CodeMark certification is discussed in detail later in this whitepaper.

• Certification of Accreditation. This certification is issued by a State or Territory accreditation authority under the applicable State or Territory building legislation. The accreditation authority will assess a building component for compliance with the NCC.

• Certification issued by a certification body. This certification provides independent confirmation by a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) that a building component is compliant with the NCC. The JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New
Zealand) can accredit CABs under an industry-operated building product certification scheme.

• Report issued by an Accredited Testing Laboratory. A report is issued by an Accredited Testing Laboratory to show that a building component has been subjected to particular tests, the results of testing and any other information relevant to demonstrating the component’s suitability for use.

• Certificate or report by a certified engineer/recognised expert. A professional engineer or appropriately qualified person may issue a certificate or report explaining the suitability of a building component, form or construction or design for the proposed application.

• Other forms of documentary evidence such as, but not limited to, a Product Technical Statement. This evidence option allows other technical documentation to be used as evidence and highlights that the above list is not exhaustive.