Housing for Health – the guide
  • Safety
    Electrical Safety

    Electrical Safety

    • A1.1 Functioning Safety switches
    • A1.2 Electrical earth connection
    • A1.3 Cabling and wiring
    • A1.4 Power points, lights and other fittings
    Gas Safety

    Gas Safety

    • A2.1 Gas Safety
    Fire Safety

    Fire Safety

    • A3.1 Fire prevention
    • A3.2 Fire and smoke detection
    • A3.3 Escape in the event of fire
    Structural Safety

    Structural Safety

    • A4.1 Structural safety
  • Health & Housing
    Washing People

    Washing People

    • B1.1 Wet area design
    • B1.2 Hot water
    • B1.3 Water outlets, valves & taps
    • B1.4 Washing young children ― hand basins, bathtubs, and laundry tubs
    • B1.5 Showers
    • B1.6 Wet area floor drainage (bathroom, shower, toilet and laundry)
    • B1.7 Turning the water off to allow plumbing maintenance
    Washing clothes and bedding

    Washing clothes and bedding

    • B2.1 Laundry design
    • B2.2 Drying clothes and bedding
    Removing waste water safely

    Removing waste water safely

    • B3.1 Flush toilets
    • B3.2 House drains
    • B3.3 Septic tanks, common effluent drains and on-site effluent disposal systems
    • B3.4 Aerated waste water treatment systems

    • B3.5 Dry toilets
    Improving nutrition – the ability to store, prepare and cook food

    Improving nutrition – the ability to store, prepare and cook food

    • B4.1 Quality of drinking water
    • B4.2 Food storage
    • B4.3 Preparing food – sinks and benches
    • B4.4 Cooking
    • B4.5 General issues for kitchen design
    Reducing the negative impacts of crowding

    Reducing the negative impacts of crowding

    • B5.1 Performance of health hardware in households with more people
    • B5.2 Developing the edges of the house and the yard
    • B5.3 Storage areas in the house
    Reducing the negative effects of animals, insects and vermin

    Reducing the negative effects of animals, insects and vermin

    • B6.1 Animals: Dogs, cats and others
    • B6.2 Animals: rats, mice, snakes and birds
    • B6.3 Insects: ants and cockroaches
    • B6.4 Insects: mosquitoes and flies
    • B6.5 Insects: Dust mites
    • B6.6 Insects: termites
    Reducing the health impacts of dust

    Reducing the health impacts of dust

    • B7.1 Reducing the health impacts of dust
    Controlling the temperature of the living environment

    Controlling the temperature of the living environment

    • B8.1 Human comfort and climate
    • B8.2 Passive design in tropical zones
    • B8.3 Passive design for houses in arid and temperate climates
    • B8.4 Active cooling of houses
    • B8.5 Active heating of houses
    Reducing hazards that cause minor injury (trauma)

    Reducing hazards that cause minor injury (trauma)

    • B9.1 Hazardous materials
    • B9.2 Personal security
    • B9.3 Preventing slips, trips and falls
    • B9.4 Preventing cuts and abrasions
    • B9.5 Preventing burns
  • Healthy Communities
    Water

    Water

    • C1.1 Water quantity and treatment systems
    • C1.2 Water quantity and demand management
    • C1.3 Rainwater, stormwater and recycled water for landscaping
    Energy

    Energy

    • C2.1 Electricity
    • C2.2 Gas
    Waste Water

    Waste Water

    • C3.1 Waste water
    Household rubbish disposal

    Household rubbish disposal

    • C4.1 Household rubbish disposal
    Community planning

    Community planning

    Landscaping

    Landscaping

    • C6.1 Landscaping
    Communications

    Communications

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Home > Safety > Structural Safety > Structural safety

A4.1 Structural safety

Structural failure in houses can be life threatening or cause severe physical injury. Care needs to be taken at the design stage to ensure structural components are suited to the environment and adequate for loads. Common areas of structural failure include:

  • Movement in foundations causing major cracking, due to lack of site information about soils and/or poor design
  • use of untreated timber, resulting in termite attack
  • damage to timber or steel framing caused by leaking wet areas
  • failure of steel structures, particularly light-weight frames, through corrosion caused by salt spray.

These problems can be avoided by using a qualified inspector during construction to ensure that the structure is built according to its design and specification.

Structural repairs related to life threatening situations must be considered a higher priority requiring urgent work, for example:

  • rotten floors in high set houses, especially in wet areas where there is a water leak or no floor drain, allowing water to penetrate the floor and walls and rot the framing supports
  • unstable water tank stands
  • rotten or rusted stairs
  • corrosion of posts at ground level
  • walls with large cracks or dangerously unstable or leaning walls
  • piers, stumps and footings being eroded by stormwater
  • buildings that are unsafe because of fire damage or severe termite attack
  • loose materials such as roof sheeting or windows.

A highly under-rated cause of structural failure is from leaking wet areas within the house (shower, bath, basin, toilet, laundry and behind kitchen sinks).  Left to leak continuously over many years, leaking water can rust and rot framed wall and floor structures and cause damage and collapse. Leaks can be caused by:

  • not being waterproofed adequately
  • leaking of plumbing pipes and fittings
  • poor sealing of appliances and fittings to walls.

Survey data show that all the building components that often indicate more serious structural problems have improved slightly since 2006.  Reduction in termites by 8%, and more houses had internal walls, external walls and floors in good condition and all these building components showed a 4-5% reduction in the ‘poor’ category.

Real world examples of problems

  • A4 001 Marine environments can corrode structural steel elements
  • A4 002 Corroded wall fixings caused by incompatible metals and a salty marine environment
  • A4 003 Poorly considered position of tap has rotted a supporting column
  • A4 004 Door inoperable due to wall movement
  • A4 005 Structural damage from termite attack
  • A4 006 Debris in guttering can lead to rainwater regularly entering the building and damaging the structure.
  • A4 007 Particleboard flooring in wet areas will rot if it becomes wet
  • A4 008 Corroded roof sheeting allows water to effect structural elements

Design and Specification

Ensure

  • A4.1.1.

    structural components of the house are engineered to suit soil and climate conditions.

  • A4.1.2.

    the local wind conditions have been checked, particularly in coastal cyclonic areas, and inland and desert areas subject to strong winds

  • A4.1.3.

    if using timber, that termite-resistant timbers and physical termite barriers are used throughout the construction

  • A4.1.4.

    if using steel, that steel framing, structural components, stairs and hand rails are rust-proofed with an approved system

  • A4.1.5.

    doming of concrete footings at ground level to reduce water, air and salts causing corrosion of posts at ground level"

  • A4.1.6.

    only compatible materials are combined- for example, corrosion will occur around wall metal fixings when fixing an incompatible metal sheeting"

  • A4.1.7.

    bottom plates of wall frames are detailed to avoid rot or rust, especially in wet areas

  • A4.1.8.

    the height of the floor above ground, particularly when a framed structure is used, is sufficient (no less than 600mm) for regular inspections of the sub-floor areas for termites and water leaks

  • A4.1.9.

    kitchens and wet areas are detailed and specified to prevent water penetrating the walls or floors

  • A4.1.10.

    plumbing is designed to suit the local water quality and to reduce leaks and associated structural failure.

  • A4.1.11.

    Areas beneath houses are dry and well ventilated to prevent conditions that encourage termites

Consider

  • In areas of high termite activity using little or no structural timber in the house

Quality control

  • footings, foundations, structural tie-downs and other engineering requirements are constructed according to plans and specifications
    info-icon
    COMPLETED DESIGN & SPECIFICATION
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • an engineer or an experienced inspector has inspected the site preparation and provided an inspection report
    info-icon
    COMPLETED DESIGN & SPECIFICATION
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
  • termite barriers are installed, are continuous and are undamaged
    info-icon
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • all wet areas and kitchen areas are sealed
    info-icon
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • the builder has provided warranties for the installation of waterproofing, termite barriers, glass and other proprietary systems.
    info-icon
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
    TRADE TEST
  • an engineer’s certificate is provided for all structural components including footings, slabs, floor framing, wall framing and roof framing with reference to the wind terrain category and soil classification
    info-icon
    COMPLETED DESIGN & SPECIFICATION
    AT HANDOVER
  • the site investigation report is provided and corresponds to the information in the engineer’s
    info-icon
    COMPLETED DESIGN & SPECIFICATION
    AT HANDOVER

Maintenance

As part of cyclical maintenance:

  • check regularly for rust, rot, termites and other signs of structural deterioration
    info-icon
    Local Maintenance Team
    12 Months
  • fix water leaks including down pipes and sub-surface stormwater pipes to reduce water damage and mosit ground that encourages termites
    info-icon
    Plumber, Local Maintenance Team
    6 Months
  • check garden beds, timber floors and ramps for termites
    info-icon
    Local Maintenance Team, Pest Controller
    12 Months
  • if garden beds have been planted against walls, talk to residents about removing them to make it easier to check for termites
    info-icon
    Local Maintenance Team
    12 Months
  • consider organising a regular program of termite inspections and treatments by a qualified pest controller
    info-icon
    Pest Controller, Housing Management
    12 Months
  • in tropical areas or areas close to the coast, check for corrosion of steelwork and re-apply paints and other protective coatings.
    info-icon
    Local Maintenance Team
    12 Months
  • inspect, tighten, replace or install structural tie-downs between roof, wall and floor
    info-icon
    Local Maintenance Team, Engineer
    24 Months
  • if the roof is nailed on, replace the nails with screws and cyclone washers and have a qualified engineer check that the structure of the roof is in good condition before replacing the roof sheeting.
    info-icon
    Carpenter, Engineer, Housing Management
    24 Months
  • if upgrading or repairing a house with severe structural failures, the residents should be relocated to another house and a qualified engineer should be consulted.
    info-icon
    Housing Management
    24 Months
  • talk with tenants about removing any piles of wood or loose timber stacked beneath or up against the walls of houses that might attract termites
    info-icon
    Housing Management
    24 Months

Standard And References

AS 2870–1996, Amendment 1–1997, Amendment 2–1999, Amendment 3–2002 Residential slabs and footings—Construction.

AS 2312 – 2002, Amendment 1 – 2004 Guide to the protection of structural steel against atmospheric corrosion by the use of protective coatings.

Download PDF
Download PDF
of houses with poor external wall condition (including large cracks and holes)
Click here for more data on Structural safety

Real world story

The importance of living conditions to health

Dr. Lilon Bandler – Sydney Medical School Speaking on the importance of living conditions to health video: from Simon J Forbes on Vimeo. https://www.housingforhealth.com…

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