"Industry bodies have said construction across Australia could come to a halt because building surveyors will not be able to secure compliant professional indemnity insurance from next month.

State and territory governments are working with stakeholders to find a solution, but lawyers warn some options could have consequences for consumers."
Connie Agius, PM- ABC Radio

Combustible cladding and the construction industry

2 years on from England's Grenfell Tower disaster of June 2017, the building and construction industries in Australia face a potential standstill in the wake of the health and safety risks that come with the use of non-compliant cladding.

Earlier this year Melbourne saw a fire destroy six floors of the Neo200 building in the CBD. Fortunately, the accident saw only one person hospitalised with smoke inhalation as opposed to the threat of many more.

Since the accident, the investigation has lead experts to believe that the blaze was started by a 'disregarded cigarette' that ignited non-compliant cladding by the balcony. Smoke detection and alarm systems were found to be non-compliant to building standards due to disregard for maintenance.

With fourteen damaged apartments and six to twelve month of work to be completed, the residents are left to find their own emergency accommodation with a payout of $2500 fore each resident.

“A Federal Senate inquiry into non-compliant building products recommended a ban on the importation, sale and use of polyethylene (PE) core aluminium composite panels (ACPs) “as a matter of urgency.”” Editorial Desk AAU, 2019

To learn more about fire safety in regulation with the Australian standards you can head here.

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