How To Check If An Elephant Foot Garbage Chute Is Safe

Transcription

1 Suite 03.04, 55 Miller Street Pyrmont NSW 2009 Phone: Fax: BUILDING CODE COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT REPORT REPORT NO 3081-REV02 DATE 8 APRIL 2011 PREPARED FOR ELEPHANTS FOOT GARBAGE COMPACTORS PTY LTD PREPARED BY AE&D

2 C O N T E N T S Executive Summary Introduction BCA Assessment Data BCA Assessment & Recommendations Conclusion Appendix A CSIRO Report FSP Appendix B CSIRO materials test FNE Appendix C Ventilation Requirements from AS REVISION STATUS REPORT NO & REVISION DATE STATUS WRITTEN CHECKED REV ISSUED CH TJ COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE This document contains confidential material that is intended solely for the client commissioning AE&D to prepare this report. The client, project team and all regulatory authorities shall exercise precautionary measures to ensure that the information contained herein is not to be accessed by any third party. AE&D will take no responsibility for the use of any information contained within this report by any third party, unless AE&D s permission is requested and provided in writing. 2

3 E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y This report has assessed the Elephants Foot Compactors garbage linen chutes under the provisions of the Building Code of Australia 2010 (BCA) 1, where it has been determined that the proposed design of the Elephants Foot Garbage chute constructed from Alkatuff LL711UV linear low density polyethylene plastic complies to the deemed-to-satisfy (DTS) provisions of the BCA. A summary is detailed in the following table. BCA PROVISIONS FOR # BCA Requirements Outcome 1. SPRINKLER PROVISIONS The chute design must have provisions for sprinkler protection at every second hopper door on a level by level basis in addition to a sprinkler at the head of the chute in accordance with AS Automatic fire sprinkler systems provide a building with a high level of protection for both the occupants and environment against a major structural fire. Sprinklers also protect against major structural damage to a building and make a return to normal operations following a fire possible. Pass Pending provisions have been made for sprinklers at every 2 nd level on a floor by floor basis, in addition to a sprinkler provision at the head of the chute. 2. FIRE RATING OF SELF CLOSING HOPPER DOORSETS The hopper doorsets to be installed within a building of Type A construction requires that the chute system must be of non-combustible construction if the shaft is a garbage shaft and have a FRL of not less than -/60/30 if providing access to a ventilating, pipe or other service shaft as detailed in C3.13(d) and C3.13(b) of the BCA. Pass Hopper Doorsets have FRL of -/120/30 The hopper doorsets are non-combustible. 3. FIRE HAZARD PROPERTIES From the BCA C1.10 and Specification C1.10, materials used in construction of the chute must have: a spread of flame index not more than 9 and a smoke-developed index not more than 8 if the spread of flame index is more than 5. Pass Spread of flame = 7 Smoke-Developed Index = 5 4. FIRE RATING OF SURROUNDING BUILDING ELEMENTS The shaft around the chute must have a fire resistance level of at least that detailed in C1.1 and Specification C1.1 of the BCA. Chute to be installed into shaft with FRL as set out in C1.1 and Specification C1.1 of the BCA. 1 Australian Building Codes Board. Building Code of Australia AS Australian Standard. Automatic fire sprinkler systems Part 1: General requirements 3

4 BCA PROVISIONS FOR # BCA Requirements Outcome 5. VENTILATION The requirements F4.5 of the BCA state that the Garbage/linen room where the chute dispenses must be adequately ventilated in accordance with AS Ventilation to be provided to garbage/laundry rooms as follows: Garbage rooms 5.0 L/s per m 2 of floor area (requirement) L/s for each floor level in the building (recommendation) Laundry Rooms Commercial or Hospital L/s per m 2 of floor area Residential 20L/s per laundry room Exhaust Fan at head of chute fitted with damper with FRL of at least -/60/- Make-up air paths to be provided to garbage/laundry rooms 3 AS Australian Standard. The use of mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning in buildings, Part 2: Mechanical ventilation for acceptable indoor-air quality 4

5 1. 0 I N T R O D U C T I O N AE&D has been commissioned by Elephants Foot Waste Compactors to determine if a proposed plastic garbage/linen chute complies with the provisions of the BCA. Additionally, the ventilation requirements of the garbage/linen room will be assessed and outlined in accordance with the BCA and relevant Australian Standards. It is the intention of Elephants Foot Garbage Compactors Pty Ltd to install these chute systems in sprinkler protected high rise buildings in compliance with the guidelines set out in the BCA B a s i s o f R e p o r t The key basis of this report is to address compliance with the significant requirements of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) 2010 as relevant to the new garbage/linen chute system. The scope of services is limited to, Section C - Fire Resistance, Section E- Services and Equipment and Section F - Health and Amenity of the BCA. This report is based on a desktop assessment of the following: CSIRO Report FSP1443 Fire Resistance on a Self-Closing Hopper Doorset. Elephants Foot Garbage chute. Appendix A CSIRO materials test FNE9701 Simultaneous Determination of Ignitability, Flame Propagation, Heat Release and Smoke Release on the Elephants Foot garbage chute material. Appendix B The Building Code of Australia 2010 (BCA), prepared by the Australian Building Codes Board. The Guide to the BCA 2010, prepared by the Australian Building Codes Board R e g u l a t o r y B a s i s o f t h e R e p o r t The assessment of BCA compliance is subject to the following basis, where this application of compliance is consistent with the requirement of sprinkler provisions, fire rating of hopper doorsets, fire rating of the chute and building elements surrounding the chute and ventilation requirements. These requirements are detailed in the following table. BCA PROVISIONS FOR # Recommendation Type & Action Required BCA Requirements 1. Regulatory SPRINKLER PROVISIONS The chute design must have provisions for sprinkler protection at every second hopper door on a level by level basis in addition to a sprinkler at the head of the chute in accordance with AS Regulatory FIRE RATING OF SELF CLOSING HOPPER DOORSETS The hopper doorsets to be installed in the chute system must have a FRL of not less than -/60/30 (for linen chutes) or be of non-combustible construction (for garbage chutes) to comply with C3.13(b) and C3.13(d) in the BCA. 5

6 BCA PROVISIONS FOR # Recommendation Type & Action Required BCA Requirements 3. Regulatory FIRE HAZARD PROPERTIES From the BCA C1.10 and Specification C1.10, materials used in construction of the chute must have: a spread of flame index not more than 9 and a smoke-developed index not more than 8 if the spread of flame index is more than Regulatory FIRE RATING OF SURROUNDING BUILDING ELEMENTS The shaft around the chute must be have a FRL as detailed in C1.1 and Specification C1.1 of the BCA. 5. Regulatory VENTILATION The requirements of clause F4.5 of the BCA state that the garbage/linen rooms where the chute system dispenses must be adequately ventilated in accordance with AS For garbage rooms the ventilation required is 5L/s per m 2 of floor area. For laundry s in commercial or hospital buildings the ventilation required is 15L/s per m 2 of floor area while in residential buildings the ventilation required for a laundry room is 20L/s P u r p o s e o f t h e R e p o r t The purpose of this report is to assess the following: Assessment of the new garbage/linen chute under the current Building Code of Australia 2010 and detail any significant departures from the BCA2010; Provide recommendations to best address any significant departures from the requirements of BCA 2010 that are contained in, or caused by the proposed design L i m i t a t i o n s o f t h e R e p o r t The report is limited to a desktop assessment of the specified Elephants Foot Chute system only and does not constitute assessment of any existing buildings or site limitations in any way. Assessment is strictly limited to those works that have specifically been nominated within assessed documentation detailed in Section 1.1 of this report. Access and facilities for people with disabilities is addressed however compliance with Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) is outside the scope of this report. It should be noted that BCA compliance does not necessarily meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). Reporting on hazardous materials, OH&S matters or site contamination Assessment of any structural elements or geotechnical matters relating to the building, including any structural or other assessment of the existing fire resistant levels of the building Consideration of any fire services operations (including hydraulic, electrical or other systems) Assessment of plumbing and drainage installations, including stormwater Assessment of mechanical plant operations, electrical systems or security systems Heritage significance Consideration of energy or water authority requirements 6

7 Consideration of Council s local planning policies Environmental or planning issues Requirements of statutory authorities Pest inspection or assessment building damage caused by pests (general/visual pest invasion or damage will be reported, however invasive or intrusive inspections have not be carried out) Provision of any construction approvals or certification under Part 4A or Part 5 of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act Determining compliance of any as installed systems. 7

8 2. 0 B C A A S S E S S M E N T D A T A This section details the relevant BCA assessment data to the proposal under the current Building Code of Australia. CSIRO have been commissioned by Elephants Foot Garbage Compactors to perform the fire hazard property tests on the chute material and the fire resistance tests on the hopper doorsets. The chute design assessment is based on these test results. The CSIRO reports are reproduced in Appendix A- Fire Hazard Properties of Chute Material and Appendix B- Fire Resistance of Hopper Doorsets of this report C h u t e D e s i g n A s s e s s m e n t Elephants Foot Garbage Compactors have developed a garbage/linen chute constructed of Alkatuff LL711UV linear low density black polyethylene plastic having a nominal thickness of 5mm and a nominal total mass of 938 kg/m 3. The specific BCA requirements of the chute design are detailed in section 1.2 of this report. The schematics of the chute system are represented below. According to the BCA clause E1.5, a high rise building with an effective height of more than 25m requires sprinkler protection and would need to be Type A construction. The provision of sprinklers is based on AS , where in high rise buildings sprinklers must be protected internally at every second hopper door on a floor by floor basis in addition to a sprinkler at the head of the chute. The proposed chute design complies with these requirements. The fire resistance of the self closing hopper doors in the proposed design were tested by the CSIRO resulting in a FRL of at least -/120/30 (see Appendix A), which complies with BCA Clause C3.13(b). The hopper doors are constructed from 30mm thick MAXI-LITE panel faced on both sides by 1.6mm thick panels of 250 grade mild steel sheet. Therefore the hopper door complies with BCA Clause C3.13(d) for openings in shafts. The chute system has been subjected to the fire hazard property tests in accordance with BCA clause C1.10 and Specification C1.10, which requires tests to be carried out in accordance with AS (see Appendix B). It was determined from this assessment that the chute material had a spread of flame index of 7 and a smoke developed index of 5, in compliance with BCA C1.10 and Specification C1.10. The chute must be located within a shaft that complies with the BCA requirements for fire resistance as defined in Clause C1.1 and Specification C AS , Australian Standard. Methods for fire tests on building materials, components and structures. Simultaneous determination of ignitability, flame propagation, heat release and smoke release. 8

9 Schematics of the Elephants foot chute system 9

10 2. 2 G a r b a g e r o o m V e n t i l a t i o n The proposed chute is to dispense into an associated garbage room and according to the BCA Clause F4.5, any room occupied by any person must have either natural ventilation or a mechanical ventilation system complying with AS (see table in Appendix C). While the garbage room is not frequently occupied, ventilation must be provided in accordance with the requirements of the BCA and will also act to remove odours from the garbage area. The requirements for ventilation in a garbage room is a flow rate of 5 L/s per m 2 of floor area. If the chute is to be used as a linen chute that dispenses into a laundry then the ventilation required would be 15 L/s per m 2 of floor area in a commercial or hospital laundry or 20 L/s for a residential building. For this particular chute system the following recommendations are proposed to ensure adequate ventilation: Garbage rooms must be ventilated to produce a minimum of 5 L/s per m 2, where it is also recommended that additional 5L/s per level in the building be provided to ensure adequate ventilation. i.e. Recommended ventilation = 5 L/s per m 2 of garbage room floor area + (5L/s x Number of levels in building). Laundry rooms in commercial or hospital buildings must be ventilated to produce a minimum of 15L/s per m 2 of laundry floor area. Laundry rooms in a residential building must be ventilated to produce a minimum of 20L/s per laundry room. Suitable provisions for make-up air paths would need to be provided into the garbage/laundry rooms. 10

11 3. 0 B C A C O M P L I A N C E A S S E S S M E N T & R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S The following table identifies the requirements of the Building Code of Australia for the proposed garbage/linen chute design. BCA PROVISIONS FOR # BCA Requirements Outcome 1. SPRINKLER PROVISIONS The chute design must have provisions for sprinkler protection at every second hopper door on a level by level basis in addition to a sprinkler at the head of the chute in accordance with AS Automatic fire sprinkler systems provide a building with a high level of protection for both the occupants and environment against a major structural fire. Sprinklers also protect against major structural damage to a building and make a return to normal operations following a fire possible. Pass Pending provisions have been made for sprinklers at every 2 nd level on a floor by floor basis, in addition to a sprinkler provision at the head of the chute. 2. FIRE RATING OF SELF CLOSING HOPPER DOORSETS The hopper doorsets to be installed within a building of Type A construction requires that the chute system must be of non-combustible construction if the shaft is a garbage shaft and have a FRL of not less than -/60/30 if providing access to a ventilating, pipe or other service shaft as detailed in C3.13(d) and C3.13(b) of the BCA. Pass Hopper Doorsets have FRL of -/120/30 The hopper doorsets are non-combustible. 3. FIRE HAZARD PROPERTIES From the BCA C1.10 and Specification C1.10, materials used in construction of the chute must have: a spread of flame index not more than 9 and a smoke-developed index not more than 8 if the spread of flame index is more than 5. Pass Spread of flame = 7 Smoke-Developed Index = 5 4. FIRE RATING OF SURROUNDING BUILDING ELEMENTS The shaft around the chute must be have a fire resistance level of at least that detailed in C1.1 and Specification C1.1 of the BCA. Chute to be installed into shaft with FRL as set out in C1.1 and Specification C1.1 of the BCA. 5 AS Australian Standard. Automatic fire sprinkler systems Part 1: General requirements 11

12 BCA PROVISIONS FOR # BCA Requirements Outcome 5. VENTILATION The requirements F4.5 of the BCA state that the Garbage/linen room where the chute dispenses must be adequately ventilated in accordance with AS Ventilation to be provided to garbage/laundry rooms as follows: Garbage rooms 5.0 L/s per m 2 of floor area (requirement) L/s for each floor level in the building (recommendation) Laundry Rooms Commercial or Hospital L/s per m 2 of floor area Residential 20L/s per laundry room Exhaust Fan at head of chute fitted with damper with FRL of at least -/60/- Make-up air paths to be provided to garbage/laundry rooms 12

13 4. 0 C O N C L U S I O N This report has assessed the compliance of the Elephants Foot Garbage/linen chute design with the BCA s regulatory requirements and it has been determined that the design is considered to be at a sufficient level to demonstrate compliance with the BCA Deemed-To-Satisfy provisions, and thus certification confirming that the design documentation complies will be issued by AE&D. Provided that the Alkatuff LL711UV linear low density polyethylene chute being contained in a suitably fire rated shaft, is fitted with hopper doors that have a minimum FRL of -/120/30 and sprinkler protection is provided in accordance with Clause E1.5 in the BCA and AS when necessary. Provisions must be made for adequate ventilation of the garbage/linen rooms where the chute dispenses as is detailed in section 2.2 of this report. Report By: Reviewed By: Clynton Halstead for AE&D Nathan Halstead for AE&D B Medicinal Chemistry (Hons- First Class) PhD - Phytochemistry and Analytical Chemistry MAIBS, Grad Dip Fire Eng (VU), M Build Surv (UWS) Accredited Certifier / Principal Certifying Authority (Building) - Grade A1 AIBS National - Accredited Building Surveyor 13

14 A P P E N D I X A CSIRO Report FSP1443 Fire Resistance on a Self-Closing Hopper Doorset. Elephants Foot Garbage Chute 14

15 A P P E N D I X B CSIRO materials test FNE9701 Simultaneous Determination of Ignitability, Flame Propagation, Heat Release and Smoke Release on the Elephants Foot garbage chute material 15

16 A P P E N D I X C Ventilation Requirements from AS