The Timber Preservers Association of Australia will progress an alternative treatment standard centred on using the CodeMark Certification Scheme, a voluntary third-party building product scheme administered by the Australian Building Codes Board.
The decision was overwhelmingly supported by TPAA members at a board meeting on October 1. The board has agreed to run a follow-up to TPAA’s pioneer workshop in August last year at the Eco-Science Precinct building in Brisbane with the task of accelerating the CodeMark objective.
The workshop later this year, with a date to be confirmed, will be open to the broader industry for its information and input. It is planned that the day will include presentations, working group discussions and a Q&A session.
Certification experts attending and presenting at the workshop will include Neil Savery, who leads ICC Oceania, one of Australia’s leading experts in construction, building, and sustainability. He is past CEO of the. Australian Building Codes Board and author of CodeMark in Australia
He will be joined by Dyan Johnson, chair of the National Building Products Coalition, and Jerry Tyrrell of ToolsR, which has a mission to ‘unlock construction knowledge and simplify building compliance’.
A representative from an independent auditing firm is also likely to join the panel of speakers.
The TPAA board has asked for the assistance of QDAF staff to set up a communication link with the Queensland Department of Education and Science for the purpose of discussion and establishing the true measure of preservative in each type of treatment and hazard class.
TPAA says clarification on the mass volume of preservative is not currently being considered, rather it is only using the tonnage of the timber itself. In the case of H2F, this is estimated to be overstated by as much as 70-80%.
The TPAA AGM that followed the board meeting elected Peter Webb, formerly of IVS, as the new chair replacing Gerry Gardiner of iTreat Timber, who has stepped down from the position.
Mr Gardiner will remain on the board with the task of bringing a review and changes to the standards and quality systems.
New Zealand-based Peter Webb has a vast background in governance, quality systems and compliance. As a professional director he will be of great value to the TPAA board as well as the broader timber preservation Industry.
TPAA is the peak body of the Australia’s wood protection industry. Its members include timber treaters, preservative suppliers, research organisations, and individuals and bodies with an interest in the production and use of preserved wood.
The TPAA promotes a knowledge of the principles and methods of timber preservation, helps with establishing and adhering to standards for the treatment of timber and promotes best practice in the production of preserved wood.
Members are encouraged to comply with national standards and applicable legislation, to use sound and responsible environmental procedures, and to produce fit-for-purpose preserved timber products.
While the TPAA maintains a list of timber preservation plants, it does not ‘register’ preservation plants and relies on members to produce fit-for-purpose preserved timber products.
